AUTHOR=Gan Hairun , Min Jiumeng , Long Haoyu , Li Bing , Hu Xinyan , Zhu Zhongyi , Li Luting , Wang Tiancheng , He Xiangyan , Cai Jianxun , Zhang Yongyu , He Jianan , Chen Luan , Wang Dashuai , Su Jintao , Zhao Ni , Huang Weile , Zhang Jingjing , Su Ziqi , Guo Hui , Hu Xiaojun , Mao Junjie , Ma Jinmin , Pang Pengfei TITLE=Microbial and human transcriptional profiling of coronavirus disease 2019 patients: Potential predictors of disease severity JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.959433 DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2022.959433 ISSN=1664-302X ABSTRACT=
The high morbidity of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) brings on a panic around the world. COVID-19 is associated with sex bias, immune system, and preexisting chronic diseases. We analyzed the gene expression in patients with COVID-19 and in their microbiota in order to identify potential biomarkers to aid in disease management. A total of 129 RNA samples from nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, and anal swabs were collected and sequenced in a high-throughput manner. Several microbial strains differed in abundance between patients with mild or severe COVID-19. Microbial genera were more abundant in oropharyngeal swabs than in nasopharyngeal or anal swabs. Oropharyngeal swabs allowed more sensitive detection of the causative SARS-CoV-2. Microbial and human transcriptomes in swabs from patients with mild disease showed enrichment of genes involved in amino acid metabolism, or protein modification