SARS-CoV-2 Infection of Salivary Glands Compromises Oral Antifungal Innate Immunity and Predisposes to Oral Candidiasis.

SARS-CoV-2 targets salivary glands potentially impacting oral health. We show that presence of replicating viruses in the acinar cells of salivary glands compromises production and secretion of histatin-5, a key host-produced antifungal peptide. The salivary levels of histatin-5 were significantly reduced in SARS-CoV-2 infected subjects, concomitant with enhanced prevalence of the fungal opportunistic pathogen Candida albicans. These findings provide direct evidence associating SARS-CoV-2 infection with predisposition to oral candidiasis.