Brigham researchers found people with wide-ranging long COVID symptoms were twice as likely to have SARS-CoV-2 proteins in their blood, compared to those without long COVID symptoms. A persistent infection could explain why some people experience long COVID symptoms, according to a new study led by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system. The team found evidence of persistent infection in 43 percent of participants with cardiopulmonary, musculoskeletal or neurologic symptoms symptoms of long COVID.
Results are published in Clinical Microbiology and Infection. "If we can identify a subset of people who have persistent viral symptoms because of a reservoir of virus in the body, we may be able to treat them with antivirals to alleviate their symptoms," said lead author Zoe Swank, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Pathology at Brigham and Women's Hospital. The study analyzed 1,569 blood samples collected from 706 people, including 392 participants from the National Institutes of Health-supported Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative, who had previously tested positive for a COVID infection.
With a highly sensitive test they developed, researchers looked for whole and partial proteins from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. They also analyzed data from the participants' long COVID symptoms, using electronic medical chart information or surveys that were gathered at the same time as .
