Open AccessIncreased Fecal Neopterin Parallels Gastrointestinal Symptoms in COVID-19
Author(s) -
Felix Grabherr,
Maria Effenberger,
Alisa Pedrini,
Lisa Mayr,
Julian Schwärzler,
Simon Reider,
Barbara Enrich,
Gernot Fritsche,
Sophie Wildner,
Rosa BellmannWeiler,
Günter Weiß,
Sabine SchollBürgi,
Thomas Müller,
Alexander R. Moschen,
Timon E. Adolph,
Herbert Tilg
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
clinical and translational gastroenterology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.673
H-Index - 35
ISSN - 2155-384X
DOI - 10.14309/ctg.0000000000000293
Subject(s) - neopterin , medicine , covid-19 , feces , gastrointestinal tract , gastroenterology , immune system , inflammation , pandemic , immunology , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , paleontology , biology
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread from Wuhan, China, and become a worldwide pandemic. Most patients display respiratory symptoms but up to 50% report gastrointestinal symptoms. Neopterin is a surrogate marker for viral inflammation, and its production by macrophages is driven by interferon-γ. METHODS: We measured fecal neopterin in 37 hospitalized COVID-19 patients not requiring intensive care measures and 22 healthy controls. RESULTS: Fecal neopterin was elevated in stool samples from COVID-19 patients compared with that in samples from healthy controls. Especially, patients reporting gastrointestinal symptoms exhibited increased fecal neopterin values. DISCUSSION: COVID-19 is associated with an inflammatory immune response in the gastrointestinal tract.