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Review
. 2021 Apr 7;27(13):1255-1266.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i13.1255.

Coronavirus disease-2019 and the intestinal tract: An overview

Gabriela Gama Freire Alberca  1 , Rosa Liliana Solis-Castro  2 , Maria Edith Solis-Castro  3 , Ricardo Wesley Alberca  4
Affiliations
Review

Coronavirus disease-2019 and the intestinal tract: An overview

Gabriela Gama Freire Alberca et al. World J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can progress to a severe respiratory and systemic disease named coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). The most common symptoms are fever and respiratory discomfort. Nevertheless, gastrointestinal infections have been reported, with symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and lack of appetite. Importantly, SARS-CoV-2 can remain positive in fecal samples after nasopharyngeal clearance. After gastrointestinal SARS-CoV-2 infection and other viral gastrointestinal infections, some patients may develop alterations in the gastrointestinal microbiota. In addition, some COVID-19 patients may receive antibiotics, which may also disturb gastrointestinal homeostasis. In summary, the gastrointestinal system, gut microbiome, and gut-lung axis may represent an important role in the development, severity, and treatment of COVID-19. Therefore, in this review, we explore the current pieces of evidence of COVID-19 gastrointestinal manifestations, possible implications, and interventions.

Keywords: Antibiotics; COVID-19; Gastrointestinal; Microbiota; SARS-CoV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare having no conflicts of interest.

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