Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in gastroenterology and its current epidemiological situation: An updated review until January 2021

Authors

  • Ahmed Nabil Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan. Tel: 00818035404321; (+20)1000618349, E-mail: TOLBA.AhmedNabil@nims.go.jp http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5617-4726
  • Mohamed M. Elshemy Faculty of Science, Menoufia University, Menoufia, Egypt
  • Koichiro Uto Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan
  • Reham Soliman Egyptian Liver Research Institute and Hospital (ELRIAH), Sherbin, El Mansoura, Egypt; Tropical Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Port Said University, Egypt
  • Ayman A. Hassan Egyptian Liver Research Institute and Hospital (ELRIAH), Sherbin, El Mansoura, Egypt
  • Gamal Shiha Egyptian Liver Research Institute and Hospital (ELRIAH), Sherbin, El Mansoura, Egypt. Tel: +20 1223280501; E-mail: g_shiha@hotmail.com http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9338-8854
  • Mitsuhiro Ebara Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan. Tel: 008180-6661-5342; E-mail: EBARA.Mitsuhiro@nims.go.jp http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7906-0350

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2021-3417

Keywords:

COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, digestive system, anal swab, GI, liver, epidemiology

Abstract

Coronaviruses are positive-sense single-strand RNA viruses that infect amphibians, birds, and mammals. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a major health problem caused by one of the coronaviruses called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It has spread fast throughout the globe since its first identification in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Although COVID-19 is principally defined by its respiratory symptoms, it is now clear that the virus can also affect the digestive system causing gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms like diarrhea, loss of appetite, nausea/vomiting, and abdominal pain as a major complaint. GI symptoms could be the initial signs of preceding respiratory signs, carrying a potential for slowed investigation and raised disease transmission opportunities. Various studies recognized the COVID-19 RNA in stool specimens of infected patients, and its viral receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) is highly expressed in GI epithelial cells. Many cases were reported negative using nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs and finally, SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA was detected in their anal/rectal swabs and stool specimens. These suggest that COVID-19 can actively infect and replicate in the GI tract. In this review, we elaborate on the close relationship between SARS-CoV-2 and the digestive system, focusing on the current status in the field of COVID-19 in gastroenterology, liver injury, endoscopy, inflammatory bowel disease, imaging, and the potential underlying mechanisms with illustrating the current epidemiological status regarding this pandemic.

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Published

2021-02-16

How to Cite

Nabil, A., M. Elshemy, M. ., Uto, K. ., Soliman, R. ., A. Hassan, A. ., Shiha, . G. ., & Ebara, M. . (2021). Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in gastroenterology and its current epidemiological situation: An updated review until January 2021. EXCLI Journal, 20, 366–385. https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2021-3417

Issue

Vol. 20 (2021)

Section

Review articles

License

Copyright (c) 2021 Ahmed Nabil, Mohamed M. Elshemy, Koichiro Uto, Reham Soliman, Ayman A. Hassan, Gamal Shiha, Mitsuhiro Ebara

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