Tongzhu Meng, PhD Student: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Objectives: TAS2R38 is a widely studied bitter taste gene and is expressed in the respiratory tract, suggesting a potential role in innate immunity. Previous studies have reported inconsistent associations between TAS2R38 haplotypes and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to determine whether common TAS2R38 haplotypes are associated with COVID-19 infection and symptomatology in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA).
Methods: Data from the CLSA COVID-19 study were linked with CLSA genetic data for common TAS2R38 haplotypes (determined from rs1726866 and rs10246939), providing a sample of n=13,825. Haplotype groups were categorized into three conventionally recognized bitter taste intensity groups: AV/AV (supertasters), AV/VI (tasters) and VI/VI (non-tasters). Binary outcome variables (yes/no) included self-reported confirmed COVID-19 infection status and experience of common COVID-19 symptomatology, including decreased sense of smell, sore throat, dry cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, muscle/joint pain, and sinus pain. Chi-squared tests and multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, and principal components of ancestry were conducted to assess associations between TAS2R38 haplotypes and COVID-19 outcomes.
Results: Seventy-six participants reported having a confirmed COVID-19 infection (0.5%). While cases were highest among tasters, no significant difference was observed between haplotype group and COVID-19 infection frequency (n [%]: supertasters 20 [26.3%], tasters 34 [44.7%], non-tasters 22 [29.0%], p=0.56). Among participants with a confirmed infection, supertasters were significantly more likely than tasters to report experiencing sinus pain (odds ratio: 7.2 [95% confidence interval: 1.6, 31.3], p=0.01). No significant differences were observed for other symptomatology.
Conclusions: Among participants in the CLSA COVID-19 study, TAS2R38 haplotypes were not significantly associated with COVID-19 infection or most symptomatology examined, with the exception of an association with self-reported sinus pain. CLSA seroprevalence data will be examined in future work to extend these findings.
Funding Sources: TM is a recipient of a doctoral research scholarship from the Fonds de recherché du Quebec - Nature et technologies.
