Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 bacteriophage potential in human gut microbiota

In previous studies we have shown that SARS-CoV-2 replicates in vitro in bacterial growth medium, that the viral replication follows bacterial growth, and it is influenced by the administration of specific antibiotics. These observations are compatible with a ‘bacteriophage-like’ behaviour of SARS-CoV-2, which, to our knowledge was not observed or described before. We have further elaborated on these unusual findings and here we present the results of three different supplementary experiments: (1) an electron-microscope analysis of samples of bacteria obtained from a faecal sample of a subject positive to SARS-CoV-2; (2) mass spectrometric analysis of these cultures to assess the eventual de novo synthesis of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein; (3) sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 collected from plaques obtained from different gut microbial bacteria inoculated with supernatant from faecal microbiota of an individual positive to SARS-CoV-2. Based on these results we conclude that, in addition to its well-documented interactions with eukaryotic cells, SARS-CoV-2 may act as a bacteriophage when interacting with at least two bacterial species known to be present in the human microbiota. If the hypothesis proposed in this paper, i.e. that under certain conditions SARS-CoV-2 may multiply at the expense of human gut bacteria, are further substantiated such would drastically change the model of acting and of infecting of SARS-CoV-2, and most likely of other human pathogenic viruses.  

PETRILLO Mauro;  QUERCI Maddalena;  BROGNA Carlo;  PONTI Jessica;  CRISTONI Simone;  MARKOV Peter;  VALSESIA Andrea;  LEONI Gabriele;  BENEDETTI Alessandro;  WISS Thierry;  VAN DEN EEDE Guy; 

2025-06-06

F1000 RESEARCH LTD

JRC125662

2046-1402 (online),   

https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.109236.2,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC125662,   

10.12688/f1000research.109236.2 (online),