Study Finds 48% of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Reactivated Dormant Viruses
Updated
Updated · AOL · Aug 24
Study Finds 48% of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Reactivated Dormant Viruses
3 articles · Updated · AOL · Aug 24
Summary
More than 1,100 hospitalized COVID-19 patients were tracked for up to a year, and nearly half showed reactivation of dormant viruses—mainly Herpesviridae and Anelloviridae—during acute illness.
The Nature study linked those reactivations to worse outcomes: critical patients with detectable EBV, HSV1 or Cytomegalovirus in the respiratory tract faced higher one-year death risk, while Anelloviridae in immune cells was tied to shock and ICU admission.
Months after discharge, patients with active Anelloviridae were more likely to report fatigue and physical disability consistent with long COVID, marking the first reported link between that virus family and prolonged symptoms.
Researchers said the findings do not prove causation and may not fully apply to vaccinated people or later SARS-CoV-2 variants, but they suggest viral reactivation could help explain severe COVID-19 and point to future risk markers or treatments.