Altered gut microbial functional landscape in children with pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome following SARS-CoV-2 infection: an exploratory metagenomic study

Background

Pediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome (PIMS), also known as MIS-C (Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children), is a severe post-infectious inflammatory condition associated with SARS-CoV-2 in children. While coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, primarily affects the respiratory system, growing evidence highlights gastrointestinal involvement and the relevance of the gut-lung axis in systemic inflammation. However, the taxonomic and, particularly, the functional landscape of the gut microbiome in children with PIMS remains insufficiently characterized.