Pre-pandemic Metabolic Correlates of COVID-19 Severity and Long COVID Incidence in People Living with HIV

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases
• Main Authors: Agrawal, Priyesh, Giron, Leila B, Singh, Shalini, Haw, Nel Jason, Goldman, Aaron R, Elkaeid, Mohammed, Macatangay, Bernard, Palella, Frank J, Alcaide, Maria L, Moran, Caitlin A, Kassaye, Seble G, Erdmann, Nathan, Chew, Kara W, Floris-Moore, Michelle, Chandran, Aruna, Augenbraun, Michael H, Sharma, Anjali, Palmer, Clovis, Landay, Alan L, Peluso, Michael J, Keshavarzian, Ali, Brown, Todd T, Tien, Phyllis C, Abdel-Mohsen, Mohamed
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 16.07.2024
• ISSN: 1537-6613; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiae362

Host metabolic dysregulation, especially in tryptophan metabolism, is intricately linked to COVID-19 severity and its post-acute sequelae (Long COVID). People living with HIV (PLWH) experience similar metabolic dysregulation and face an increased risk of developing Long COVID. However, whether pre-existing HIV-associated metabolic dysregulations contribute in predisposing PLWH to severe COVID-19 outcomes remains underexplored. Analyzing pre-pandemic samples from PLWH with documented post-infection outcomes, we found specific metabolic alterations, including increased tryptophan catabolism, predicting an elevated risk of severe COVID-19 and the incidence of Long COVID. These alterations warrant further investigation for their potential prognostic and mechanistic significance in determining COVID-19 complications.Host metabolic dysregulation, especially in tryptophan metabolism, is intricately linked to COVID-19 severity and its post-acute sequelae (Long COVID). People living with HIV (PLWH) experience similar metabolic dysregulation and face an increased risk of developing Long COVID. However, whether pre-existing HIV-associated metabolic dysregulations contribute in predisposing PLWH to severe COVID-19 outcomes remains underexplored. Analyzing pre-pandemic samples from PLWH with documented post-infection outcomes, we found specific metabolic alterations, including increased tryptophan catabolism, predicting an elevated risk of severe COVID-19 and the incidence of Long COVID. These alterations warrant further investigation for their potential prognostic and mechanistic significance in determining COVID-19 complications.