It's getting stranger, and stranger…
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/interesting-read-could-epstein-barr-virus-explain-why-certain-covid-19-patients-manifest-certain-symptoms-while-others-are-asymptomatic
http://archive.is/iyhqt
Could Epstein-Barr Virus Explain Why Certain COVID-19 Patients Manifest Certain Symptoms While Others Are Asymptomatic?
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One of the things that have baffled researchers to date is as to why certain COVID-19 infected individuals exhibit symptoms while other do not.
Some of the main symptoms include fever, sore dry throats, coughs, abdominal pains and sometimes gastrointestinal problems. These normally appear or might not appear in infected COVID-19 patients before the onset of ‘pneumonia’ and hypoxia along with sepsis and organ failure as the disease progresses in critical patients.
Thailand Medical News has been curious and also inspired by a new study that was released by medical researchers from Wuhan University Renmin Hospital lead by Dr Ting Chen that indicated in majority of infected COVID019 patients that were treated were found to be positive for Epstein-Barr Virus. https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-21580/v1
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), also known as human herpesvirus 4, is a member of the herpes virus family. It is one of the most common human viruses. EBV is found all over the world. Most people get infected with EBV at some point in their lives.
It is believed that between 25 to 78 percent (a wide range and depends on geographical locations) of people in various countries are infected and are carriers of this herpes virus which normally remains dormant.
Typically symptoms of a person infected with EBV are usually fever, sore throats and sometimes dry coughs along with gastrointestinal issues as well.
From the research findings, Thailand Medical News wonders if somehow, the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes the COVOD-19 disease maybe somehow lowers an individual’s immunity, leading the Epstein-Barr virus to be reactivated and manifesting the symptoms.
If this is true, it could explain as to why some people are asymptomatic while others are not.
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https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-21580/v1
http://archive.is/ZKBKT
Positive Epstein-Barr virus detection in corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients
Background Since December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused an outbreak of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China. The Objective of this study was to detect the EBV coinfection in COVID-19.
Methods In this retrospective single-center study, we included 67 patients with confirmed COVID-19 in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from January 9 to February 29, 2020. Patients were divided into EBV seropositive group and seronegative group according to the serological results of EBV, and the characteristics differences between the two groups were compared.
Results 67 COVID-19 patients were included in our study. The median age was 37 years, with 35 (52.2%) females. Among these COVID-19 patients, 37 (55.2%) patients were seropositive for EBV viral capsid antigen (VCA) IgM antibody. EBV seropositive COVID-19 patients had a 3.09-fold risk of having a fever symptom than EBV seronegative (95%CI, 1.11-8.56; P=0.03). C-reactive protein (CRP) (P=0.02) and the aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (P=0.04) in EBV seropositive COVID-19 patients were higher than that in EBV seronegative patients. EB seropositive patients had a higher portion of corticosteroid use than the EB seronegative patients (P=0.03).
Conclusions
'''EBV acute infection was found in COVID-19 patients. EBV seropositivity was associated with fever and increased inflammation. EBV reactivation may affected the treatment of COVID-19.