Corona-zona

  SARS-CoV-2 is a nasty bug. As we know, it can cause serious illness and death. But we also know a certain percentage of cases—about 7.5% according to the CDC —turn into "long COVID" where symptoms can persist for weeks, months, or even years. In July I blogged about research on places where the virus can hang out after acute symptoms subside. The leading candidate is the gut, with people shedding viral DNA in their feces months after the initial infection. Today I read a study published earlier this fall that looked at SARS-CoV-2's ability to reactivate viruses laying dormant in our systems. They looked at people who had lingering fatigue from myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). In the saliva of these people they found evidence of reactivation of herpesviruses 1-6 (HSV1, HSV2, VZV, EBV, CMV, HHV6), and human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K). This happened 3-6 months after a COVID-19 illness, even after mild/asymptomatic cases.  The researchers...

  As if our friends in India aren't having enough problems with the COVID-19 wave there, there is a new problem. This one isn't a complication of the disease per se but a result of its treatment. India is seeing a huge spike in cases of mucormycosis, a.k.a Black Fungus, in humans. According to a  report , India has had a handful of cases over the last decade, but is suddenly seeing tens of thousands of infections. Experts think this is happening because shortages of oxygen are causing physicians to prescribe more corticosteroids to people with COVID-19 (you can also buy these drugs without a prescription in India). Experts reason that these drugs are suppressing inflammatory responses and are thereby creating opportunities for the fungus to take hold. The disease happens when people inhale spores of a mold that lives in the ground and decaying organic material. According to the CDC , infections can happen in the lungs and gastrointestinal tract, but the infections being ...