Oral microbiome analysis of COVID-19 patients

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K16323
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 54030:Infectious disease medicine-related
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: Ota Kenji 長崎大学, 病院(医学系), 助教 (70894624)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2 / 細菌叢解析 / 唾液

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We aimed to clarify the association between COVID-19 and oral microbiota. Oral microbiota analysis was performed using saliva samples collected from 1. COVID-19 patients and non-infected subjects, and 2. COVID-19 patients over time (day1, day3, day7, day14). No significant changes in the diversity of the oral microbiota were observed between COVID-19 patients and healthy controls, but several changes in abundance of families and species were observed. Similarly, the abundance of families and species changed over time, though the diversity showed no significant changes with time.

Free Research Field

臨床微生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究により、COVID-19による口腔内細菌叢の変化が明らかになった。我々ので占有率に変化がみられた細菌は、SARS-CoV-2のウイルス量やCOVID-19後遺症と関連がある可能性が報告されている。本研究結果をもとに、特定の細菌が産生するタンパク質が及ぼす病態への関与を明らかにしていく研究が今後望まれる。