Review The Microbiome in Post-Acute Infection Syndrome (PAIS), 2023, Guo et al

Tom Kindlon

Senior Member (Voting Rights)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2001037023002775

Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal
Available online 5 August 2023

Mini-Review
The Microbiome in Post-Acute Infection Syndrome (PAIS)

Author links open overlay panel, , ,
a
Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, USA
b
School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
c
School of Public Health, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
d
Hainan Key Novel Thinktank “Hainan Medical University ‘One Health’ Research Center”, Haikou, China
Received 12 May 2023, Revised 3 August 2023, Accepted 3 August 2023, Available online 5 August 2023.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csbj.2023.08.002

ABSTRACT

Post-Acute Infection Syndrome (PAIS) is a relatively new medical terminology that represents prolonged sequelae symptoms after acute infection by numerous pathogenic agents.

Imposing a substantial public health burden worldwide, PASC (post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 infection) and ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) are two most recognized and prevalent PAIS conditions.

The presences of prior infections and similar symptom profiles in PAIS reflect a plausible common etiopathogenesis.

The human microbiome is known to play an essential role in health and disease.

In this review, we reviewed and summarized available research on oral and gut microbiota alterations in patients with different infections or PAIS conditions.

We discussed key theories about the associations between microbiome dysbiosis to PAIS disease development, aiming to explore the mechanistic roles and potential functions the microbiome may have in the process.

Additionally, we discuss the areas of knowledge gaps and propose the potential clinical applications of the microbiome for prevention and treatment of PAIS conditions.

Keywords
Post-Acute Infection Syndromes
microbiome
PASC
ME/CFS

 
Imposing a substantial public health burden worldwide, PASC (post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 infection) and ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) are two most recognized and prevalent PAIS conditions
Does it really? They don't seem burdened by it at all. Certainly not enough to do anything about it.

Expensive, yeah. Especially ignoring it. But burdened? Not really, or they'd actually do something, pay attention and stop denying at the very least.
 
Collection

Post-acute infection syndrome (PAIS)

Submission statusOpen
Submission deadline13 May 2026

This Collection welcomes studies into improving diagnostics and tools to determine disease progression, pathways affected, and clinical interventions, both studies within and across infectious agents of PAIS.

Q-fever, Lyme disease, Legionnaires’ disease, post-sepsis syndrome, and long-COVID are chronic diseases that are collectively known as post-acute infection syndrome (PAIS). PAIS occurs after a person has had an acute viral, bacterial, or parasitic infection. Diagnosis is difficult as the infectious agent is often no longer detectable.

Disease symptoms show similarities regardless of the infectious agent, and often includes chronic fatigue akin myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. Patients often have shortness of breath, and cognitive dysfunction, as well as a complex profile of additional symptoms, including joint pain, sleep problems, and feeling sick (headaches, muscle pain), in addition to any physical issues remaining after the infection has run its course such as scar tissue in the lungs. Symptoms range from mild discomfort to upending lives. All this has hampered diagnosis and efforts to find an effective treatments.

Furthermore, it is unclear which risk factors, and combination thereof, puts a patient most at risk of developing PAIS following an infection.
 
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