Severe COVID-19 May Unleash Dormant Viruses, Study Finds

A multi-center study of 1,154 hospitalized COVID-19 patients over a year found reactivation of 11 dormant viruses within the first 40 days of admission, including Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus-1, and Anelloviridae. Reactivation appeared linked to inflammation rather than immune suppression and was also associated with long-COVID and long-term disability in some cases, though causation was not established. The findings shed light on how severe COVID-19 can impact the body’s virome and may inform future diagnostics and treatments, especially for those with severe disease.