Probiotics and COVID-19: Hong Kong researchers trail formula in COVID-19 patients, high-risk and general population
Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) were conducting three clinical studies to assess the effects of a probiotic formula on COVID-19 patients, people at higher-risk of contracting the virus, and the general population, first announced in July 2020.
The probiotic formula was derived from a recent study by CUHK which found that COVID-19 patients were lacking a series of good bacteria, instead hosting a range of bad bacteria in their guts.
Published in the Gastroenterology journal, researchers said patients had higher levels of Clostridium hathewayi, Bacteroides nordii, and Actinomyces viscosus compared to the healthy population.
On the other hand, good bacteria such as Fecalibacterium prausnitzii, Lachnospiraceae bacterium 5_1_63FAA, Eubacterium rectale, Ruminococcus obeum, and Dorea formicigeneran were depleted in these patients.
