![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/previous-covid-infection-could-increase-your-risk-of-catching-other-illnesses/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/1_Virus-research.jpg&description=The virus disrupts the normal balance of gut bacteria, scientists have revealed, because less diverse gut flora means it is easier for dangerous microbes to thriveResearchers have issued the warning after new study into the effects of the virus on bacteria in the body People who have had Covid might be more vulnerable to other infections, due to changes the virus makes in patients' guts. The virus disrupts the normal mix of gut bacteria, reducing the number of different species, scientists claimed. Less diverse gut flora meant it's easier for dangerous microbes to thrive. Patients could also be at greater risk of life-threatening secondary infections, as antibiotic-resistant species can escape into the bloodstream, the investigation revealed. Study co-author Professor Ken Cadwell, of New York University Langone Health in the US, said: "Our findings suggest that coronavirus infection directly interferes with the healthy balance of microbes in the gut, further endangering patients in the process. "Now that we have uncovered the source of this bacterial imbalance, physicians can better identify those coronavirus patients most at risk of a secondary bloodstream infection." The human gut is normally home to a whole ecosystem of bacteria that work together to keep you healthy but Covid can disrupt the balance ( Getty Images/iStockphoto) The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, builds on previous research that shows widespread use of antibiotics has made bacteria more resistant, making people more vulnerable to infection. Prof Cadwell said: "The new study is the first to show that the coronavirus infection alone, and not the initial use of antibiotics to treat the disease as others experts had thought, damages the gut microbiome. "The study also provides the first evidence that the very same bacteria in the gut are also entering the bloodstream of patients, causing dangerous infections." The team studied 96 men and women who were hospitalised with Covid-1){kind=link}
The virus disrupts the normal balance of gut bacteria, scientists have revealed, because less diverse gut flora means it is easier for dangerous microbes to thrive
People who have had Covid might be more vulnerable to other infections, due to changes the virus makes in patients’ guts.
The virus disrupts the normal mix of gut bacteria, reducing the number of different species, scientists claimed. Less diverse gut flora meant it’s easier for dangerous microbes to thrive.
Patients could also be at greater risk of life-threatening secondary infections, as antibiotic-resistant species can escape into the bloodstream, the investigation revealed.
Study co-author Professor Ken Cadwell, of New York University Langone Health in the US, said: “Our findings suggest that coronavirus infection directly interferes with the healthy balance of microbes in the gut, further endangering patients in the process.