Why would a respiratory virus cause GI symptoms? It’s a question we’ve all been wondering since COVID hit the scene in late 2019. Since the beginning of the pandemic, patients who came down with the virus have reported a wide range of symptoms beyond the respiratory issues you might expect, including GI ailments like diarrhea, nausea, stomach pains, and loss of appetite. Researchers may have just discovered why. Levels of bacteria in COVID patients’ microbiomes were off when compared to those of healthy patients who hadn’t experienced COVID, according to a new study from Rutgers University, released Monday. To read the full story.