Influence of the nasopharyngeal microbiome and viral variant on the health-disease process in SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals.

With the development of this proposal, we aim to comprehend the response of the human nasopharyngeal microbiome to viral infection caused by SARS-CoV-2. Our research aims to address the following questions: i) Can the nasopharyngeal microbiome confer resistance to viral colonization?; ii) What are the primary microorganisms capable of conferring resistance, if any?; iii) What are the main microbial modifications caused by SARS-CoV-2?; iv) Are there specific microbial profiles for different viral variants?Specifically, our objectives are to: (i) characterize the profile of the human nasopharyngeal microbiome in healthy (asymptomatic) individuals who test negative (RT-qPCR) for the presence of SARS-CoV-2; (ii) characterize the profile of the human nasopharyngeal microbiome in symptomatic individuals who test positive (RT-qPCR) for the presence of SARS-CoV-2; (iii) characterize the profile of the human nasopharyngeal microbiome in asymptomatic individuals who test positive (RT-qPCR) for the presence of SARS-CoV-2; (iv) sequence the genome of SARS-CoV-2 obtained from positive individuals to track different circulating lineages and contribute to international databases; (v) contrast the obtained results to identify potential microorganisms indicative of resistance or susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection and explore the potential of different viral lineages to alter the nasopharyngeal microbiota profile.