4 ms·

I don't think coronavirus hides itself in the same way? The long-lived herpes DNA folds itself up compactly inside the nerve cells, which is very unique capabil

I don't think coronavirus hides itself in the same way? The long-lived herpes DNA folds itself up compactly inside the nerve cells, which is very unique capability specific to that type of virus. Attacking these dormant genes requires some specific molecular machinery to either keep these genes in their dormant state (current antiviral therapies), or to open and snip them up (TFA). I'm pretty sure coronavirus reservoirs are just regular virus sitting around in parts of the body the immune system doesn't reach. Different problem.

est31 6y ago
Yeah Sars-Cov2 is a RNA virus. RNA is far more unstable in the long term. It needs replication to survive for longer times, even if it's only at low levels. Generally in most people, the immune system can clear out the virus itself sooner or later completely. Long term symptoms come from tissue damage. Only the small group of immuno compromised people form an exception (Think HIV, organ transplants, etc). Here, the immune system is not strong enough to get rid of the virus completely, thus it stays around for longer times. But they form a tiny subset, and therapies for them would look different.
- garmaine 6y ago
  Very important to address these cases though, since it is believed that this is the source of the new variants that we are seeing now. Patients infected for months on end provide an ideal darwinian environment for the emergence of immune-escape variants.
  - est31 6y ago
    Indeed you are right, there have been reports of precisely this happening in such patients: https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2021-01-30/long-term-covid-19-patients-are-incubating-dangerous-new-coronavirus-strains https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2021-01-30/long-term-c... That's unrelated from my general point though. The virus is gone in almost all people reasonably quickly.

est31 6y ago

Yeah Sars-Cov2 is a RNA virus. RNA is far more unstable in the long term. It needs replication to survive for longer times, even if it's only at low levels. Generally in most people, the immune system can clear out the virus itself sooner or later completely. Long term symptoms come from tissue damage. Only the small group of immuno compromised people form an exception (Think HIV, organ transplants, etc). Here, the immune system is not strong enough to get rid of the virus completely, thus it stays around for longer times. But they form a tiny subset, and therapies for them would look different.

garmaine 6y ago
Very important to address these cases though, since it is believed that this is the source of the new variants that we are seeing now. Patients infected for months on end provide an ideal darwinian environment for the emergence of immune-escape variants.
- est31 6y ago
  Indeed you are right, there have been reports of precisely this happening in such patients: https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2021-01-30/long-term-covid-19-patients-are-incubating-dangerous-new-coronavirus-strains https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2021-01-30/long-term-c... That's unrelated from my general point though. The virus is gone in almost all people reasonably quickly.