COVID-19 awakens dormant viruses — and one is linked to long COVID — SkimNews
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- Boston Children's Hospital researchers and 15 collaborating institutions tracked 1,154 patients across 20 US biomedical research hospitals, collecting over 200,000 samples and generating more than 1 billion data points over a year in what the team calls the largest and most comprehensive biomarker study of COVID-19.
- Within the first 40 days after hospital admission, researchers identified 11 reactivated viruses, with Epstein-Barr, herpes simplex 1, cytomegalovirus, and Anelloviridae detected most frequently.
- Anelloviridae reactivation — from a family latent in roughly 90% of the population and previously poorly understood — showed a prominent association with long-term physical disability and long COVID, according to study lead Ofer Levy.
- Blood sample analysis unexpectedly showed Epstein-Barr and cytomegalovirus reactivating in response to inflammation rather than immunosuppression, challenging the prevailing view that chronic viral reactivation stems mainly from a weakened immune system.
- Levy noted up to 50,000 Americans died during the 2025–2026 COVID respiratory season and estimates suggest over 10 million US adults suffer from long COVID, framing the need for better diagnostics and treatments.
- Next steps: researchers plan to study how the immune system responds to these reactivated viruses throughout COVID-19 to identify effective treatments and determine optimal timing for interventions.
Why it matters: For the estimated 10 million-plus US adults with long COVID, the Anelloviridae link gives researchers a concrete viral candidate to target in future diagnostics and treatment trials, moving beyond symptom management. The inflammation-driven reactivation finding also reframes how clinicians think about dormant-virus flares during severe illness, since it occurs in patients with functioning immune systems.
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