Super Dominant Pathobiontic Bacteria in the Nasopharyngeal Microbiota Cause Secondary Bacterial Infection in COVID-19 Patients
Tian Qin, Yajie Wang, Jianping Deng, Baohong Xu, Xiong Zhu, Ji‐Tao Wang, Haijian Zhou, Na Zhao, Fangfang Jin, Hongyu Ren, Huizhu Wang, Qun Li, Xinmin Xu, Yumei Guo, Ruihong Li, Yanwen Xiong, Xiaoxia Wang, Jiane Guo, Han Zheng, Xuexin Hou, Kanglin Wan, Jianzhong Zhang, Jinxing Lu, Biao Kan, Jianguo Xu
Abstract
The nasopharyngeal microbiota is composed of a variety of not only the true commensal bacterial species but also the two-face pathobionts, which are one a harmless commensal bacterial species and the other a highly invasive and deadly pathogen. In a previous study, we found that the diversity of nasopharyngeal microbiota was lost in severe influenza patients. We named the genus that accounted for over 50% of microbiota abundance as super dominant pathobiontic genus, which could invade to cause severe pneumonia, leading to high fatality. Similar phenomena were found here for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The diversity of nasopharyngeal microbiota was lost in severe COVID-19 infection patients. SDPGs in nasopharyngeal microbiota were frequently detected in severe COVID-19 patients. Therefore, the SDPGs in nasopharynx microbiota might invade into low respiratory and be responsible for secondary bacterial pneumonia in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.