Probiotics: an alternative therapeutic strategy for COVID-19

Belapurkar, Pranoti Goyal Pragya

The COVID- 19 pandemic has made the scientists today all around the globe to look for its specific prevention and treatment modalities. The disease presents itself as asymptomatic to mild to severe respiratory symptoms along with lesser common gastrointestinal symptoms of diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. The situation worsens due to lack of precise treatment strategy. The Healthcare system is being overwhelmed, emphasizing on the need to look for alternate supportive therapy that can not only enhance the immune status of people worldwide but at the same time, ensure better prognosis. The relationship between the gut microbiota and upper and lower respiratory tract viral infections are well studied. Oral administration of probiotic microorganisms of genera Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Bacillus in mice suffering from influenza infection have shown increased TNFa, IFN-P and NK cell responses along with the production of anti-Influenza IgG. At the same time they have shown immunomodulation by producing anti-inflammatory cytokines as well as cytotoxic T-cells and T-suppressor cells. Hence, probiotic strains of genera Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Bacillus have shown a probability to be used as preventive and therapeutic agents for SARS- CoV-2.