Study Links COVID-19 to Reactivation of Dormant Viruses

A study of 1,154 hospitalized patients found that COVID-19 can trigger the reactivation of 11 dormant viruses, including Epstein-Barr and cytomegalovirus, due to systemic inflammation.

Researchers identified a prominent association between the reactivation of the Anelloviridae virus family and long-term physical disability or long COVID in patients.

The findings, published in Nature, challenge the theory that viral reactivation is caused solely by immunosuppression, suggesting that elevated inflammation plays a critical role in the process.