Researchers continue to try to understand why in some people the symptoms of Covid-19 persist for several weeks or even months after infection with the virus. These long covids could be explained by the oral microbiome, because after analysis, doctors realized that it was not the same in these patients with long-lasting forms. They publish their research and their thinking in a statement on the UMass Chan Medical School website.
Disease-like bacteria leading to chronic fatigue
164 patients participated in the study, they gave saliva and blood samples after being contaminated. The average duration of disease effects on the group was 45.8 days. Among them, 27 people manifested a long form of Covid-19, 14 of whom continued to have symptoms 10 weeks later.
Their saliva samples were analyzed and compared, revealing that those who had a long Covid presented certain bacteria in greater quantities. They were 19 in number and could be linked to similar samples from patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis, causing chronic fatigue like long Covid.
Perpetually active immune system
Doctors believe that this microbiome could interfere with the proper functioning of the immune system. As a reminder, just like the intestinal microbiota, the doctor who authored the study writes that this collection of bacteria can affect health and the progression of diseases.
Especially since the abundant bacteria are of the inflammatory type. They think that this imbalance could send the wrong message to the immune systemkeeping it permanently active to fight off an attack, even after the virus has been evacuated from the body.
What the study does not elucidate is whether this microbiome was already like this before the illness, making it more intense, or whether it was the illness that unbalanced the oral bacteria.
Source : UMass Chan study finds association between long-COVID symptoms and altered oral microbiome, UMass Chan Medical School, October 22, 2021.
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