The role of serum circulating microbial toxins in severity and cytokine storm of COVID positive patients

The emergence of Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is a global problem nowadays, causing health difficulty with increasing mortality rates, which doesn't have a verified treatment. SARS-CoV-2 infection has various pathological and epidemiological characteristics, one of them is increased amounts of cytokine production, which in order activate an abnormal unrestricted response called cytokine storm. This event contributes to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which results in respiratory failure and pneumonia and is the great cause of death associated with Covid-19. Endotoxemia and the release of bacterial lipopolysaccharides (endotoxins) from the lumen into the bloodstream enhance proinflammatory cytokines. SARS-CoV-2 can straightly interplay with endotoxins via its S protein, leading to the extremely elevating release of cytokines and consequently increase the harshness of Covid-19. In this review, we will discuss the possible role of viralbacterial interaction that occurs through the transfer of bacterial products such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from the intestine into the bloodstream, exacerbating the severity of Covid-19 and cytokine storms.

Automated summary

The emergence of Covid-19 is a global problem causing increasing mortality rates and lacking verified treatment. The abnormal unrestricted response called cytokine storm, which is triggered by increased amounts of cytokine production, contributes to the severity of Covid-19 and the development of respiratory failure and pneumonia. The interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and endotoxins plays a role in the excessively elevated release of cytokines and the worsening of Covid-19.