Gut microbiota interplay with COVID-19 reveals links to host lipid metabolism among Middle Eastern populations

We discovered an enrichment of linoleic acid, ether lipid, glycerolipid, and glycerophospholipid metabolism among the SARS-CoV-2 infected group, suggesting a link to SARS-CoV-2 entry and replication in host cells.The identified differences provide a new insight to enrich our understanding of SARS-CoV-2-related changes in gut microbiota, their metabolic capabilities, and potential screening biomarkers linked to COVID-19 disease severity. Overall design: This case-control study involved 86 participants with previously confirmed COVID-19 infection and 57 healthy participants as controls. This study performed 16S rRNA gene-based microbial profiling of 143 subjects. However, after assessing the sample quality, only 128 samples passed quality control and were adequate to assess the gut microbiota diversity and composition. Of those, 78 participants had a previously confirmed COVID-19 infection and 50 healthy participants as controls.