Despite strategies based on social distancing, hygiene, and screening, COVID-19 is progressing rapidly throughout the world, with healthcare systems at risk of being overwhelmed. While identification of effective drug therapies is ongoing, vaccines will not be available in the near future. Therefore, additional preventive strategies are urgently needed.

COVID-19 presents with a spectrum of disease severity, ranging from mild and non-specific flu-like symptoms, to pneumonia, and life-threatening complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multiple organ failure. While transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is thought to occur mainly via respiratory droplets, the gut may also contribute toward the pathogenesis of COVID-19 (1). SARS-CoV-2 RNA has been detected in the gastrointestinal tract and stool samples from patients (2–4), and in sewage systems (5). Coronaviruses, including SARS-Cov-2 can invade enterocytes, thereby acting as a reservoir for the virus (4). Indeed, large clinical studies from China indicate that gastrointestinal symptoms are common in COVID-19, and are associated with disease severity (3, 4).

Probiotics are live microorganisms that when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host (6). Clinical evidence shows that certain probiotic strains help to prevent bacterial and viral infections, including gastroenteritis, sepsis, and respiratory tract infections (RTIs). The reason for adding probiotic strains to the overall prevention and care strategy is founded in science and clinical studies, albeit hitherto none directly on the etiological agent of this pandemic.

Reff: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00186/full