A Framework to Connect Viral Quasispecies, Microbiome, and Host

COVID-19 is a pandemic that was detected in Wuhan, China, in 2019 and spread all around the world. COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2, which spreads through close contact. Many studies have been conducted on the transmission, virulence, and immune response of SARS-CoV-2. The intracellular mechanism of action of the virus and various host interaction pathways are also known, and there are many studies on the mutant types of the virus. Spike protein, which is one of the most important structural proteins of the virus, allows the virus to enter the cell. In this study, it has been investigated whether such an interaction occurs between Spike protein variants and host microbiota. For this purpose, the association of Sars-CoV-2 variants with different host factors that belong to the urban ecosystems has been analyzed statistically and host factors associated with different microbiota compositions were analyzed via a Bayesian Network. As a result, it is suggested that different variants of Spike protein may exist in the hosts that have dissimilar microbial compositions, and the microbiota may be a carrier that allows external factors -such as environment and human organisation- acting on hosts in the population to influence the selection of viral mutants