COVID-19 Reactivates 11 Dormant Viruses, Linking Anelloviridae to Long COVID
Updated
Updated · ScienceDaily · Aug 17
COVID-19 Reactivates 11 Dormant Viruses, Linking Anelloviridae to Long COVID
3 articles · Updated · ScienceDaily · Aug 17
Summary
A Nature study of 1,154 hospitalized patients found COVID-19 reactivated 11 dormant viruses within 40 days of admission, with Anelloviridae showing the strongest link to long COVID and lasting physical disability.
More than 200,000 samples and over 1 billion data points from 20 U.S. hospitals also flagged frequent reactivation of Epstein-Barr, herpes simplex 1 and Cytomegalovirus.
Blood analyses suggested Epstein-Barr and CMV were reactivated by systemic inflammation rather than immune suppression, challenging a common explanation for chronic viral reactivation during severe illness.
Researchers at 15 U.S. institutions said the findings could help identify biomarkers and guide timing of treatments aimed at preventing or limiting viral reactivation.
The work adds urgency as COVID still caused up to 50,000 U.S. deaths in the 2025-2026 respiratory season and long COVID may affect more than 10 million American adults.