Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus. The microbes inhabiting the oral cavity and gut might play crucial roles in maintaining a favorable gut environment, and their relationship with SARS-CoV-2 infection susceptibility and severity is yet to be fully explored. This study investigates the diversity and species richness of gut and oral microbiota of patients with COVID-19, and their possible implications toward the severity of the patient's illness and clinical outcomes. Seventy-four (n = 74) clinical samples (gut and oral) were collected from 22 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 with various clinical conditions and 15 apparently healthy people (served as controls). This amplicon-based metagenomic sequencing study yielded 1,866,306 paired-end reads that were mapped to 21 phyla and 231 classified genera of bacteria. Alpha and beta diversity analyses revealed a distinct dysbiosis of the gut and oral microbial communities in patients with COVID-19, compared to healthy controls. We report that SARS-CoV-2 infection significantly reduced richness and evenness in the gut and oral microbiomes despite showing higher unique operational taxonomic units in the gut. The gut samples of the patients with COVID-19 included 46 opportunistic bacterial genera. Escherichia, Shigella, and Bacteroides were detected as the signature genera in the gut of patients with COVID-19 with diarrhea, whereas a relatively higher abundance of Streptococcus was found in patients with COVID-19 having breathing difficulties and sore throat (BDST). The patients with COVID-19 had a significantly lower abundance of Prevotella in the oral cavity, compared to healthy controls and patients with COVID-19 without diabetes, respectively. The altered metabolic pathways, including a reduction in biosynthesis capabilities of the gut and oral microbial consortia after SARS-CoV-2 infection, were also observed. The present study may, therefore, shed light on interactions of SARS-CoV-2 with resilient oral and gut microbes which might contribute toward developing microbiome-based diagnostics and therapeutics for this deadly pandemic disease.

We report streptococcal dysbiosis in acute diarrhoea irrespective of aetiology. Compared with 20 healthy local controls, 71 Bangladeshi children hospitalized with acute diarrhoea (AD) of viral, mixed viral/bacterial, bacterial and unknown aetiology showed a significantly decreased bacterial diversity with loss of pathways characteristic for the healthy distal colon microbiome (mannan degradation, methylerythritol phosphate and thiamin biosynthesis), an increased proportion of faecal streptococci belonging to the Streptococcus bovis and Streptococcus salivarius species complexes, and an increased level of E. coli-associated virulence genes. No enteropathogens could be attributed to a subgroup of patients. Elevated lytic coliphage DNA was detected in 2 out of 5 investigated enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC)-infected patients. Streptococcal outgrowth in AD is discussed as a potential nutrient-driven consequence of glucose provided with oral rehydration solution.

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In the study, self emulsifying drug delivery system (SEDDS) of gliclazide, a poorly soluble drug, was developed and evaluated by in-vitro, ex-vivo and in-vivo techniques. Oil and surfactant were screened out according to their solubilizing capacity. Among the tested components Transcutol HP and Tween-80 showed good solubilizing capacity. These two components were used in different ratios to prepare gliclazide SEDDS. The SEDDS formulations were transparent and clear. Droplet size of the emulsion was determined by Laser Diffraction Technology of Malvern. Formulation F1 containing 1:1 (m/m) mixture of Transcutol HP/Tween-80 showed minimum mean droplet size (50.959 μm). In-vitro drug release from F1 was higher (99% within 20 min) than other formulations. The developed SEDDS was also evaluated for ex-vivo permeability profile by using chicken intestinal sac. Formulation F1 showed optimal drug diffusion. In-vivo performance of SEDDS was evaluated in albino mice using plasma glucose level as a pharmacodynamic marker parameter. The test formulation (F1) showed significant reduction in plasma glucose level, after oral administration. So SEDDS may be an alternative technique for the oral administration of gliclazide.

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