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Changes to the sebum lipidome upon COVID-19 infection observed via non-invasive and rapid sampling from the skin

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an urgent and unprecedented demand for testing - both for diagnosis and prognosis. Here we explore the potential for using sebum, collected via swabbing of a patient's skin, as a novel sampling matrix to fulfil these requirements. In this pilot study, sebum samples were collected from 67 hospitalised patients (30 PCR positive and 37 PCR negative). Lipidomics analysis was carried out using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Total fatty acid derivative levels were found to be depressed in COVID-19 positive participants, indicative of dyslipidemia. Orthogonal Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) modelling showed promising separation of COVID-19 positive and negative participants when comorbidities and medication were controlled for. Given that sebum sampling is rapid and non-invasive, this work may offer the potential for diagnostic and prognostic testing for COVID-19.