Coronavirus has passed, viruses have awakened: The new finding that intrigues researchers
Researchers monitored over 1,100 hospitalized patients for a year and identified 11 viruses that returned to activity. One of the findings may help in the future to identify patients suffering from long-term symptoms of long COVID.
Almost half of the patients hospitalized with coronavirus showed signs of the reactivation of at least one dormant virus in their body — a phenomenon linked to more severe illness and long-term symptoms after recovery. This is according to a multi-institutional study that examined more than 1,100 hospitalized coronavirus patients and was published in the scientific journal Nature.
The study, led by Boston Children's Hospital in collaboration with 15 research institutions in the USA, examined blood and respiratory system samples from 1,154 patients. The researchers followed the participants for a year and checked which chronic viruses, residing in the body in a dormant state, returned to activity during and after the illness.
During the first 40 days after hospitalization, 11 viruses were identified that showed signs of reactivation. Among the most prominent were the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and viruses from the Anelloviridae family.
The researchers found that the acute inflammatory response accompanying severe coronavirus may be a key factor that brings dormant viruses out of their quiet state. Viruses such as EBV, CMV, and herpes viruses are very common in the population, and after the initial infection, they can remain in the body for a long time without usually causing symptoms. According to the study, severe illness and the inflammatory response accompanying it may disrupt this balance.
A key finding regarding long-term symptoms after coronavirus relates to the Anelloviridae family. The researchers found that the presence of genetic material from these viruses during the recovery period, more than 60 days after hospitalization, was more common among patients who reported fatigue and physical limitation. According to them, the finding may in the future make these viruses a possible biomarker for persistent physical symptoms of long COVID.
The researchers conclude that the findings strengthen the possibility that the reactivation of chronic viruses is part of the body's complex response to coronavirus and may be related both to the severity of the acute illness and to some of the persistent symptoms after recovery.
