Scientists are warning that severe cases of Covid-19 could reactivate dormant viruses that are present in the body and make the symptoms even worse
Warnings have been raised that a severe case of Covid-19 could reawaken inactive viruses. Scientists are now calling for better understanding of viruses and how to combat their effects.
A new study has found that Covid can reactivate dormant viruses in people with otherwise healthy immune systems in nearly half of hospitalised patients. Experts tracked 1,154 adults who were hospitalised with it and discovered reawakened viruses can make inflammation worse, increasing the effects of the disease.
The patients had different levels of severity of the virus and were tracked over the course of the year to study the effects of the infection. Widespread reactivation of previously dormant viruses happened even for people with strong immune systems, the scientific journal Nature reported.
Nearly half of those in the study – 550 people – showed that at least one virus reactivated after having Covid, the research suggested. And 11 reactivated viruses were found among patients within 40 days of hospital admission.
Some of the patients developed crippling long Covid symptoms like fatigue and less of an ability to do everyday tasks like walking and dressing. Regular blood samples and nasal swabs were taken from the patients to track RNA, a genetic cousin of DNA, which shows if viruses are lingering after the acute infection.
It comes after experts in Thailand found a new group of coronaviruses circulating in bats in May with researchers warning that one strain could potentially spread to humans. Scientists said viral reactivation can happen when the immune system lowers its defences with viruses from past infections hiding in cells in the body.
Normally, the immune system stops the viruses from waking up and getting out of the cells. When the body encounters stress, the immune system has to redirect its attention to fight the infection so viruses will multiply and cause symptoms.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation reported there were an estimated 6,800 cases of Covid-19 worldwide. Meanwhile, an estimated two million people, 3% of the UK’s population, are estimated to be suffering from long Covid.
Esther Melamed, a neuroimmunologist at the University of Texas and co-author of the study, said “The next step is determining whether identifying and treating reactivated viruses can improve outcomes for patients with acute Covid-19 and long Covid. If our findings are validated, then it would really create a lot of urgency around developing antivirals to treat them.”
Researchers believe this study could help scientists to understand severe infections and develop future strategies to prevent devastating symptoms.