Fecal Microbiota Transplantation During and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic
Overview
Chemistry
Molecular Biology
Authors
Affiliations
COVID-19 is a major pandemic facing the world today, which has implications on current microbiome-based treatments such as fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) used for recurrent infections. The bidirectional relationship between the inhabitants of our gut, the gut microbiota, and COVID-19 pathogenesis, as well as the underlying mechanism involved, must be elucidated in order to increase FMT safety and efficacy. In this perspective, we discuss the crucial cross-talk between the gut microbiota and the lungs, known as the gut-lung axis, during COVID-19 infection, as well as the putative effect of these microorganisms and their functional activity (i.e., short chain fatty acids and bile acids) on FMT treatment. In addition, we highlight the urgent need to investigate the possible impact of COVID-19 on FMT safety and efficacy, as well as instilling stringent screening protocols of donors and recipients during COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 pandemic to produce a cohesive and optimized FMT treatment plan across all centers and in all countries across the globe.
Thakkar B, Dadhaniya H, Dudhat K Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 2025; .
PMID: 39888363 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-025-03819-3.
Gut microbiota in post-acute COVID-19 syndrome: not the end of the story.
An Y, He L, Xu X, Piao M, Wang B, Liu T Front Microbiol. 2025; 15():1500890.
PMID: 39777148 PMC: 11703812. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1500890.
Human microbiome in post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS).
Fallah A, Sedighian H, Kachuei R, Fooladi A Curr Res Microb Sci. 2024; 8:100324.
PMID: 39717208 PMC: 11665312. DOI: 10.1016/j.crmicr.2024.100324.
Gut microbe-host interactions in post-COVID syndrome: a debilitating or restorative partnership?.
Scheithauer T, Montijn R, Mieremet A Gut Microbes. 2024; 16(1):2402544.
PMID: 39287023 PMC: 11409505. DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2024.2402544.
Gut microbiota and its metabolic products in acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Zhang D, Lu J, Dong B, Fang M, Xiong X, Qin X Front Immunol. 2024; 15:1330021.
PMID: 38433840 PMC: 10904571. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1330021.