An epidemic of an acute respiratory syndrome caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Wuhan, China, now known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), beginning in December 2019 has attracted an intense amount of attention worldwide. As the natural history and variety of clinical presentations of this disease unfolds, the extrapulmonary symptoms of the disease have emerged, especially the symptoms related to the digestive system. While the respiratory mode of transmission is well-known and likely the principal mode of transmission of this disease, the possibility of the fecal-oral route of transmission has also emerged in various case series and clinical scenario. In this review article, we summarized the published literatures to date concerning four different aspects: (a) gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19 infection; (b) microbiologic and virological investigations; (c) the role of fecal-oral transmission; and (d) prevention/control infection in the digestive endoscopy room. A timely understanding of the relationship between the disease and the digestive system and implementing effective preventive measures are of great significance for a favorable outcome of the disease and can help mitigate further transmission by appropriate measures. This article is protected by copyright.
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