Future Virology
Authors: Sara Ahmadi Badi, Shohreh Khatami, Seyed Davar Siadat
COVID-19 caused by a novel coronavirus, named SARS-CoV-2, is responsible for the current viral pandemic. COVID-19 infection can be accompanied by gastrointestinal (GI) complications [1]. The following factors affect the susceptibility to and severity of the COVID-19 infection: ACE2, the main entrance receptor of SARS-CoV-2 and the vital counterbalancing of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS); and gut microbiota, the diverse and dynamic microbial colonizers of the GI tract [2]. Here, we discuss the correlation of ACE2 and gut microbiota with SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis concerning susceptibility to and severity of COVID-19.