Barr, herpes viruses: What this means

Key Points:

• A study of over 1,100 hospitalized COVID-19 patients found that reactivation of dormant viruses, particularly from the Herpesviridae and Anelloviridae families, occurred in nearly half of participants and was linked to both severe acute COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms.
• Viral reactivation was associated with increased inflammation, changes in gene expression, and metabolic alterations, suggesting it could worsen COVID-19 outcomes and contribute to persistent symptoms like fatigue and physical disability seen in long COVID.
• Detection of viruses such as Epstein-Barr virus, HSV1, and cytomegalovirus in respiratory samples was linked to a higher risk of death within a year among critically ill patients, while Anelloviridae presence correlated with ICU admission and shock.
• The study did not establish causality and was limited to unvaccinated patients infected with early SARS-CoV-2 strains, indicating that further research is needed to understand the role of viral reactivation in COVID-19 severity and long COVID across different populations and variants.
• Experts suggest these findings could lead to identifying patients at higher risk for complications and developing targeted treatments for viral reactivation, potentially improving management of both acute COVID-19 and long COVID.