PROBIOTIC PREVENTS COVID-19 REPLICATION
PROBIOTIC PREVENTS COVID-19 REPLICATION
November 20, 2020
INTRODUCTION.
The novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by a new strain of virus (SARS-CoV2), was only identified in 2019. Before this time, it had never been identified in humans. However, some other members of the viral family had been documented previously in humans. Consequently, its overwhelming spread led to the disease being declared a pandemic in March 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Most of the notorious coronaviruses only cause mild human disease, excluding SARS-CoV-1 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which are highly pathogenic viruses associated with severe infections fatalities.
Coronaviruses are titled for their crown-like shapes associated with their long surface thorns. They have enveloped viruses with a large positive-sense RNA genome belonging to the genus of the Coronaviridae family.
They are known to be associated with animals. Recently, zoonotic transmission of SARS-CoV 1 and 2 was observed, causing a variety of severe diseases, including gastroenteritis, respiratory tract diseases, and neurologic disorders. However, the subsequent spread of the virus occurred via human-to-human transmission.
SYMPTOMATOLOGY AND TREATMENT MODALITIES.
The incubation period for COVID-19 is 1–14 days. The clinical manifestations of COVID-19 are variable. They range from asymptomatic or mild illness to severe illness. Asymptomatic patients can serve as sources of disease dissemination.
Common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, myalgia, and fatigue, and the most prominent of which is that it causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (referred to as SARS-CoV-2). This syndrome often results in respiratory distress/failure. The majority of cases are self-limiting and end result in complete recovery.
Beyond difficulty in breathing and respiratory complaints, people infected with COVID-19 may complain of gastrointestinal symptoms such as poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, gastrointestinal bleeding in severe cases, and other digestion-related symptoms.
Sometimes, they may even suffer from worsening symptoms or relapses of pre-existing digestive diseases, such as inflammatory bowel diseases. Some patients might even complain of anosmia (loss of the sensation of smell) following the viral infection.
Accordingly, while treatment of the disease involves protecting and reviving the respiratory system, it also calls for managing gastrointestinal symptoms related to COVID-19. Furthermore, it includes administering therapeutic drugs (while avoiding any adverse reactions), nutrition support, and infection control of the digestive tract during the disease.
Severe infections can result in septic shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute kidney injury, acute cardiac injury, and multi-organ failure, necessitating intensive care unit admission. Extreme cases of COVID-19 can lead to death.
Real-time reverse-transcription–polymerase-chain-reaction is the gold standard diagnostic tool for COVID-19. Moreover, chest computed tomography is another modality supporting the clinical diagnosis of COVID-19.
THE LINK BETWEEN RESPIRATORY AND GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEMS IN VIRAL REPLICATION.
It is quite clear that although the primary target of the viral infection seems to be the respiratory system, the virus ventures into the gastrointestinal tract too, where it breeds and multiplies.
Accordingly, since the relationship between viral replication and gastrointestinal immunity is very close, it is logical and practical to explore probiotic bacteria's effect on the immunological mechanisms that help protect the respiratory system through the gastrointestinal system. These probiotic bacteria also prevent the replication of the virus in the gastrointestinal system.
The gastrointestinal tract and lung are among the body compartments that host microbiota. Nevertheless, the lung has a small number of microbiota compared to the gastrointestinal tract. There is accumulating evidence that bidirectional communications exist between the gut and lung, called the gut-lung axis. This bidirectional crosstalk is involved in support of immune homeostasis.
PROBIOTICS.
Antiviral agents appear not to be particularly potent or efficacious against zoonotic coronaviruses, such as SARS-CoV1 and 2. The innate defense mechanisms may play a significant part in combating the virus in a healthy body system. However, it is not 100% effective. Hence, probiotics could be a useful alternative in the management of viral disease COVID-19.
Probiotics, which have been defined as live microbes when ingested or applied in sufficient amounts, confer health-promoting and boosting attributes on the host. They can also support the body system in fighting this viral infection.
The World Health Organization (WHO) describes probiotics as “live microorganisms that converse a health benefit on the host when directed in adequate amounts.”
Examples of probiotics include bacteria such as Lactobacillus spp., Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactococcus lactis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Pediococcus spp., Bifidobacterium spp., Propionibacterium spp., Enterococcus spp., Bacillus spp., Escherichia coli, Sporolactobacillus inulinus; as well as yeast, such as Saccharomyces spp.
Probiotics have been proposed as antimicrobial agents against a wide variety of pathogenic and spoilage bacteria. However, direct and indirect antiviral activity was recently reported for some probiotic strains.
There have been prior studies related to the use of probiotics in general cases of URTI and influenza. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, tons of research has been done. Research carried out focused on the use of probiotics in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
While trials are still on-going, recent research advises that COVID-19 may, to some degree, be related to the gut microbiota. In fact, even the Chinese government and first-line medical staff putative the importance of gut microbiota in COVID-19 infection.
However, if that it so, then surely probiotics, which can curb the gut microbiota to modify the gastrointestinal symptoms favorably, could also guard the respiratory system. Effectively, gut bacteria can mediate activities outside of their normal habitat.
For that reason, they are exploring an effective way to use probiotic bacteria to stop or at least slow down viral replication. This may be possible through several mechanisms of action associated with probiotics, including antimicrobial agents' production, regulation of immune responses, and promotion of host innate defense mechanisms.
Probiotics can help better in maintaining or restoring the balance of the intestinal microbiome and, thus, improve the overall immune system’s response against bellicosity to the human organism.
Amongst the mechanisms of probiotics that corroborate with intestinal and systemic health are the rivalry with pathogenic microorganisms for adhesion sites and nutritional sources, the secretion of antimicrobial peptides, the action of metabolites, nucleosidase activity, and even immunomodulation by signaling pathways of intestinal and immune cells.
The effectiveness of probiotic bacteria depends on their adhesion capacity to the host, other bacterial cells (co-aggregation), or even the same species (auto-aggregation). In this way, they can colonize and promote immune-modulatory effects, besides stimulating gut barrier and metabolic functions.
Concerning the effect on respiratory infections, lactobacilli have been associated with beneficial action in other viral infections. Oral administration of L. gasseri stimulated local and systemic immune responses protecting against influenza virus infection.
A Korean study, conducted by a research team at Ewha Womans University Medical Center, suggests that consumption of sea buckthorn berry’s lactic acid bacteria (a probiotic) could contain the spread of the new coronavirus by inhibiting the activation of its energy source, purine.
The probiotic bacteria extracted from fermented sea buckthorn berry has a lot of Lactobacillus gasseri, which represses the activation of purine, an energy source required for the mutation of new coronavirus.
The lead researcher then concluded that the probiotic bacteria would work as a complementary treatment to prevent COVID-19. Therefore, this information might suggest the actions of this lactobacillus strain in COVID-19, improving the innate and adaptive immune systems.
The direct or indirect positive impact of probiotics on the Acetylcholine esterase (ACE) enzymes found in the lung is relatively well understood. During food fermentation, probiotics produce bioactive peptides to inhibit the ACE enzymes by blocking the active sites.
Moreover, the debris of the dead probiotic cells acted also as ACE inhibitors. These findings suggest that probiotics could be a potential blocker to the ACE receptor that acts as a gateway for SARS-CoV-2 to attack GI cells.
Food sources of probiotics such as fermented products have a good potential to prevent COVID-19. In previous research, the consumption of fermented milk containing probiotic strains significantly reduced upper respiratory tract infections among healthy infants, children, adults, and the elderly.
Probiotic bacteria can be adjuvants in vaccine outcomes, acting in T cell responses toward Th1, enhancing B cell and antibody response, besides their protection against infections directly at the gut mucosal level and through interactions with the innate immune system.
CONCLUSION.
Further studies are needed to examine probiotics’ activity against different coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2, and MERS-CoV to understand their underlying mechanisms against viruses fully. Studies are also required to determine any adverse effects of probiotic supplementation. This is what you may need to know about Probiotic for Covid. We hope this information article will help you!
REFERENCES
Gaurav K. (2020, July 23) Specific use of probiotics in the era of coronavirus. http://pharmabiz.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?aid=129835&sid=9
Kayode T. A. (2020) Coronavirus and Probiotics: Past, Present and Future. Journal of Probiotics & Health. 8:e124. DOI: 10.35248/2329-8901.20.8.e124
Morais A. H. A. Passos T. S. Maciel B. L. L. and da Silva-Maia J. K. (2020) Can Probiotics and Diet Promote Beneficial Immune Modulation and Purine Control in Coronavirus Infection? https://cutt.ly/pg4PKjX
Olaimat, A.N., Aolymat, I., Al-Holy, M. et al. (2020). The potential application of probiotics and prebiotics for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. npj Sci Food 4, 17 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-020-00078-9
Probiotics (2020, November 11) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probiotic