COVID-19 and the gastrointestinal tract: Source of infection or merely a target of the inflammatory process following SARS-CoV-2 infection?

Figure 1 Gut dysbiosis induced by the immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in the gastrointestinal tract increases gut permeability, which in turn increases spike protein trafficking. Spike protein was reported to act as a superantigen that links the T-cell receptor and major histocompatibility complex II on antigen-presenting cells. ACE2: Angiotensin converting enzyme 2; S-protein: Spike protein; SARS-CoV-2: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.