High abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria in the naso-oropharynx of SARS-CoV-2-infected persons in an African population: implications for low disease severity.

Background: The association of the oral microbiome with SARS-CoV-2 infections and disease progression has been documented in European, Asian, and American populations but not in Africa.

Methods: We conducted a study in Ghana to evaluate and compare the naso-oropharyngeal microbiome in SARS-CoV-2-infected and uninfected persons before (pre-vaccine) and after vaccine availability (post-vaccine) in the country. 16S rRNA V3-V4 variable region was sequenced and analysed from DNA extracted from naso-oropharyngeal swabs.