Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Dec 7, 2022; 28(45): 6328-6344
Published online Dec 7, 2022. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i45.6328
Gastrointestinal microbiota: A predictor of COVID-19 severity?
Maria Adriana Neag, Damiana-Maria Vulturar, Diana Gherman, Codrin-Constantin Burlacu, Doina Adina Todea, Anca Dana Buzoianu
Maria Adriana Neag, Anca Dana Buzoianu, Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacology, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca 400337, Romania
Damiana-Maria Vulturar, Doina Adina Todea, Department of Pneumology, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca 400332, Romania
Diana Gherman, Department of Radiology, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca 400347, Romania
Codrin-Constantin Burlacu, Faculty of Medicine, Iuliu Haţieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca 400347, Romania
Author contributions: Neag MA, Vulturar DM Gherman D and Todea DA performed the research; Neag MA, Vulturar DM, Burlacu CC analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript; Burlacu CC contributed the new reagents and analytic tools; Buzoianu AD designed the research study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors report having no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Damiana-Maria Vulturar, PhD, Doctor, Researcher, Department of Pneumology, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Victor Babes Street No. 8, Cluj-Napoca 400332, Romania. vulturar.damianamaria@elearn.umfcluj.ro
Received: September 19, 2022
Peer-review started: September 19, 2022
First decision: October 19, 2022
Revised: October 26, 2022
Accepted: November 16, 2022
Article in press: November 16, 2022
Published online: December 7, 2022
Core Tip

Core Tip: In the last 10 years, the intestinal microbiota has been intensively studied in relation to various diseases from gastrointestinal to cardiovascular, respiratory, and even neurological or psychiatric diseases. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a challenge in this regard. Thus, in this review we highlighted the link between microbiota and COVID-19, aspects of the clinical and imaging manifestation and the potential role of some nutraceuticals in this widespread respiratory viral disease.