COVID-19 May Reactivate Dormant Viruses - Takeaways - MDSpire
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COVID-19 May Reactivate Dormant Viruses

Nearly half of hospitalized patients had detectable reactivation of at least one chronic virus

  • September 7, 2026

  • 3 min

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    Nearly half of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had detectable reactivation of at least one chronic virus during acute illness.

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    The study included 1,154 unvaccinated patients admitted to 20 US hospitals between May 2020 and March 2021.

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    Chronic viral transcripts were found in 550 of 1,148 evaluable patients within the first 40 days of admission.

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    Herpesvirus and Anelloviridae transcripts were linked to greater COVID-19 severity and one-year mortality in critically ill patients.

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    The study's limitations include reliance on RNA sequencing and a cohort limited to unvaccinated patients with early SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Original Source(s)

COVID-19 May Reactivate Dormant Viruses

  • September 7, 2026

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