Franchitti Elena, Bottino Paolo, Sidoti Francesca, Carpino Andrea, Pruccoli Giulia, Ramenghi Ugo, Costa Cristina, Ala Ugo, Parodi Emilia, Traversi Deborah
Department of Public Health and Paediatrics, University of Turin, Piazza Polonia 94, 10126 Torino, Italy.
Microbiology and Virology Laboratory, University Hospital "SS Antonio e Biagio e C. Arrigo", Via Venezia 8 16, 15121 Alessandria, Italy.
Microorganisms. 2025 Jan 4;13(1):83. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13010083.
Severe COVID-19 and MIS-C are rare but serious outcomes associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The onset of MIS-C often involves the gastrointestinal system, suggesting a potential connection with gut microbiota. This study aims to compare the gut microbiota of children with severe COVID-19 and those with MIS-C using various biomolecular approaches. Gut microbiota composition and specific microbial modulations were analyzed using fecal samples collected at hospital admission. The study included hospitalized patients (mean age 6 ± 5 years) diagnosed with severe COVID-19 (37 patients) or MIS-C (37 patients). Microbial differences were assessed using both NGS and qRT-PCR methodologies. In 75% of cases, pharmacological treatments included antibiotics and corticosteroids, which influenced the microbiota composition. Early age was found to have the most significant impact on microbiota diversity. Significant differences in alpha and beta diversity were observed between COVID-19 and MIS-C patients, particularly concerning low-abundance species. Levels of spp., spp., and were comparable between groups, while an increased activity of spp. was noted in children with positive fecal samples ( = 0.019). An in-depth evaluation of lesser-known gut species may be key to reducing the risk of severe outcomes and developing microbiota-based biomarkers for the early diagnosis of MIS-C.
重症新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）和儿童多系统炎症综合征（MIS-C）是与严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）感染相关的罕见但严重的后果。MIS-C的发病通常累及胃肠道系统，提示其与肠道微生物群可能存在关联。本研究旨在采用多种生物分子方法比较重症COVID-19患儿和MIS-C患儿的肠道微生物群。利用入院时采集的粪便样本分析肠道微生物群组成和特定的微生物调节情况。该研究纳入了确诊为重症COVID-19（37例）或MIS-C（37例）的住院患者（平均年龄6±5岁）。使用二代测序（NGS）和定量逆转录聚合酶链反应（qRT-PCR）方法评估微生物差异。在75%的病例中，药物治疗包括抗生素和皮质类固醇，这影响了微生物群组成。研究发现年龄对微生物群多样性影响最为显著。在COVID-19患者和MIS-C患者之间观察到α多样性和β多样性存在显著差异，尤其是在低丰度物种方面。各组间[具体物种1]、[具体物种2]和[具体物种3]的水平相当，而粪便样本呈阳性的儿童中[具体物种4]的活性增加（P = 0.019）。深入评估鲜为人知的肠道物种可能是降低严重后果风险以及开发基于微生物群的生物标志物用于MIS-C早期诊断的关键。
