Bacteriotherapy decreases need of ICU admissions in Covid-19 patients, finds study

 A consistent number of SARS-CoV-2 infected subjects need hospitalization for lesions affecting more than 50% of the lungs. SLAB51, oral bacteriotherapy as a treatment for fighting the COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be more effective. SLAB51 formulation is a mixture of lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria. A recent study by Giancarlo Ceccarelli et al has found that SLAB51 possess Arginine Deiminase Activity (ADI), which has been useful in contrasting the viral infection and mitigating the COVID-19-associated inflammatory status while waiting for the lung to recuperate its functions. The "oxygen sparing effect" of SLAB51 might be useful in the time-sensitive race to maintain oxygenation at sufficient levels and reduce the need for intensive care admissions. The study is published in the Journal of Nutrients.

The objective of the study was to investigate further bacteriotherapy mechanisms and how early they are activated, as previously reported studies about severe COVID-19 patients had higher chances of survival and a reduced risk of developing respiratory failure when administered with the probiotic formulation SLAB51.

The researchers used an analysis on the blood oxygenation parameters collected in sixty-nine severe COVID-19 patients requiring non-invasive oxygen therapy and presenting a CT lung involvement ≥50%. Twenty-nine patients received low-molecular-weight heparin, azithromycin and Remdesivir. In addition, forty subjects received SLAB51. Blood gas analyses were performed before the beginning of treatments and at 24 h.

The researchers found that the patients receiving only standard therapy needed significantly increased oxygen amounts during the 24 h observation period. Furthermore, they presented lower blood levels of pO2 , O2Hb and SaO2 than the group also supplemented with oral bacteriotherapy. In vitro data suggest that SLAB51 can reduce nitric oxide synthesis in intestinal cells.

The researchers concluded that "SARS-CoV-2 infected patients may present lesions in the lungs compromising their gas exchange capability. The functionality of the organs essential for these patients' survival depends mainly on the levels of pO2 , O2Hb and SaO2 . SLAB51 contains enzymes that could reduce oxygen consumption in the intestine, making it available for the other organs." However they also stated "additional trials must reconfirm our results, and at the same time we underline that the reproducibility of the results obtained is related to the experimental conditions described and is not extensible "a priori" to probiotics other than the one used in this study"

For further information:

Ceccarelli, G.; Marazzato, M.; Celani, L.; Lombardi, F.; Piccirilli, A.; Mancone, M.; Trinchieri, V.; Pugliese, F.; Mastroianni, C.M.; d'Ettorre, G. "Oxygen Sparing Effect of Bacteriotherapy in COVID-19." Nutrients 2021, 13, 2898. https:// doi.org/10.3390/nu13082898.