Objectives
Understanding the role of certain salivary components, such as TNF-⍺, IL-6, IL-10, lactoferrin, lysozyme, IgG, IgA, and IgM, in airway defense during the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is essential. The salivary immune barrier of patients with COVID-19 may play a role in their prognosis. The present study aims to evaluate the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on saliva composition.
Methods
A longitudinal study was carried out with male and female firefighters aged 24 to 48 years. The study sample (n=34) was divided into 3 groups: asymptomatic volunteers with a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2 (group 1, Control, n=21); patients with symptoms of COVID-19 of less than 7 days’ duration and a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection by PCR (group 2, COVID-19, n=13); and recovered patients from group 2 who were free of COVID-19 symptoms for at least 2 months (group 3, post-COVID-19 recovery, n=13). All groups underwent real-time PCR to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2, as well as analysis of the salivary concentrations of TNF-⍺, IL-6, IL-10, lactoferrin, lysozyme, IgG, IgA, and IgM by the ELISA method.
Results
Lactoferrin concentrations were significantly decreased in the infected group (COVID-19) when compared to those not infected by SARS-CoV-2 (control) (p=0.032). IgA concentrations were decreased in the COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 groups compared to the control group (p=0.005 and p=0.016, respectively). Comparison of the COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 groups also revealed an increase in IgM concentrations during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection (p=0.010).
Conclusion
SARS-CoV-2 alters the composition of the salivary immune barrier.
Covid-19 is transmitted mainly by respiratory droplets and as the upper airway mucosa is the first innate immune barrier, it is crucial to understand the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on this system. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate the nasal mucociliary clearance in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and their symptom development. Observational cross-sectional study. The nasal mucociliary clearance (NMC) time was evaluated by the saccharin test and the results were compared between patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection (group 1) and controls (group 2, asymptomatic patients with a negative polymerase chain reaction test). We also compared the NMC time for each specific symptom suffered by participants in group 1 with the NMC time of the control group as well as with the patients in group 1 who were asymptomatic. There was a significant increase in NMC time in group 1 with dyspnea when compared to the control group (
p
= 0.032) and also when compared to patients who were infected were not dyspneic (
p
= 0.04). There were no differences in the clearance times when considering other symptoms. COVID-19 patients with dyspnea present with altered nasal mucociliary clearance.
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