Archive · 16 Aug 2026
Study: COVID-19 May Reactivate Dormant Viruses in Body
When you catch a virus, your body sometimes keeps other old viruses sleeping quietly inside it.
It usually does a good job keeping them asleep.
A new study shows that getting COVID-19 might wake some of those sleeping viruses up.
One of those viruses is called EBV.
If EBV wakes up, some people might feel sick even after COVID-19 goes away.
But scientists do not all agree about this.
Another study looked at people who had mild or no symptoms from COVID-19.
That study found no sign of EBV waking up in people with lingering symptoms.
So scientists are still studying why some people stay sick for a long time, and they are looking at inflammation and changes in the immune system.
A new study suggests COVID-19 may reactivate dormant viruses, such as EBV, in the body.
The evidence is not completely consistent across studies.
A separate study of people with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 found no detectable EBV DNA in participants with post-COVID symptoms.
That study concluded their symptoms could not be attributed to EBV reactivation.
Researchers are examining whether inflammation and immune changes weaken the body's suppression of latent viruses, possibly contributing to Long COVID symptoms.
- Who
- Researchers studying COVID-19 and the reactivation of latent viruses (no specific researchers or institutions are named in the article)
- What
- A new study indicates COVID-19 may reactivate dormant viruses such as EBV; however, another study found no evidence of such reactivation in people with mild or asymptomatic infections
- When
- Not specified in the article
- Where
- Not specified in the article
- Why
- COVID-19 can cause substantial inflammation and changes in immune function, potentially making it harder for the body to keep latent viruses suppressed, which may relate to some Long COVID symptoms
Viral Reactivation Evidence
Conflicting Study Evidence
Can COVID-19 reactivate dormant viruses like EBV?
Viral Reactivation Evidence
A new study indicates COVID-19 may reactivate dormant viruses such as EBV, as inflammation and immune changes may make it harder for the body to keep latent viruses suppressed.
Conflicting Study Evidence
A separate study of people with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 found no detectable EBV DNA in participants with post-COVID symptoms and concluded their symptoms could not be attributed to EBV reactivation.
- Key finding
- COVID-19 may reactivate dormant viruses such as EBV in the body
- Evidence status
- Not completely consistent across studies
- Contradicting study
- Found no detectable EBV DNA in participants with post-COVID symptoms
- Contradicting study group
- People who had asymptomatic or mild COVID-19
- Proposed mechanism
- Inflammation and changes in immune function may weaken the body's suppression of latent viruses
- Ongoing research
- Whether persistent viral or inflammatory signals contribute to some Long COVID symptoms
- Viruses discussed
- EBV (Epstein-Barr virus)
- Condition studied
- Post-COVID and Long COVID symptoms