Assessment of COVID 19 Positive and Negative Patients Nasopharyngeal Media Microbiota Composition

This proof-of-concept study was to determine if the nasal microbiota is significantly altered in COVID-19-diseased patients that may impact SARS-CoV-2 disease progression and prognosis. We comprehensively analyzed the microbiota of viral-transport-media (VTM) samples that formerly stored nasopharyngeal swabs, from COVID-19-positive and -negative patients. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing identified specific microbial taxa within the nasal VTM microbiota of COVID-19-positive patients that were significantly differentially abundant compared to negative patients.