Overview
Determining whether in the mouth there are differences between the participant groups in the nature and activity of mucosal innate immunity, in immune responses to SARS-COV2 antigens, or in the oral microbiome
Description
Cross sectional with longitudinal component
- Stimulated whole mouth fluid (SWMF) and blood samples from South Asian and non-Asian populations
- Controls, and COVID-19 patients in both populations.
- Oral disease questionnaire and clinical examination
- Separation of SWMF into pellet for DNA extraction for microbiomics and supernatant for cell phenotype analysis, cytokines and antibodies to SARS-CoV2 antigens
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- • South Asian and White British persons and those diagnosed with symptomatic or
asymptomatic COVID-19 infection.
- Aged 18 or over. Able to understand and consent.
- Uninfected subjects: no history of COVID-19; not vaccinated; (negative for anti-SARS-CoV2 nucleoprotein antibodies at lab)
- For patient groups: Confirmed COVID-19 positivity, symptoms and symptom onset within the past 21 days; Be recently hospitalised with COVID-19 disease; Have COVID-19 disease proven by PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 within the last 21 days; COVID disease severity graded as per NIH/WHO.
- Recovered groups: Have had COVID-19 disease proven by PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2. COVID disease severity graded as per WHO or NIH equivalent criteria
- Those willing to participate on a single occasion but unwilling to participate with longitudinal samples will not be excluded.
- Smoking, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, antibiotics or treatment related to COVID is not excluded.
Exclusion Criteria:
- • Those patients unwilling to participate, those unable to understand sufficiently to
give informed consent and those unable to participate due to the severity of COVID-19
disease. Those patients classified as not either South Asian or White British
heritage.
- Patients with malignancy, pregnancy, long term immune suppression, inability to give informed consent, not willing or able to have oral examination.
- Diabetes not excluded but screening for diabetes will be performed: glucose will be assessed in blood/serum sample (150ul).
Exclusion criteria summary:
- Critically ill participants who cannot give informed consent
- Those who are not willing to have an oral examination, or donate blood or saliva samples.
- Those who cannot chew / drool to provide a SWMF sample due to severe/critical medical conditions
- Participants with known malignancies or who are pregnant
- Participants who are on long-term immunosuppressants (e.g. for autoimmune diseases)
- Participation in other current research that is designed to, or is expected to alter the immune response.
- Inability to communicate, understand or read English.