Some viruses, like the one that causes chickenpox, can lie dormant in the body for years and later spark another infection or even a different condition. Researchers are now investigating whether the coronavirus can behave in similar ways, The Washington Post reported June 28.
Varicella-zoster, the virus that causes chickenpox, for example, can hibernate for years, able to reemerge and cause shingles.
Currently, there's no evidence the coronavirus behaves the same way, though it's an area ripe for research.
"There have been instances where people have initially been infected and then had an infection again," said Saurabh Mehandru, MD, gastroenterologist at New York City-based Mount Sinai who led research that found the coronavirus was detectable in the lining of the intestines up to several months after patients recovered from a COVID-19 infection. "But unless we can show — based on science — that it was the same virus, we don't know if the virus got reactivated or if the person acquired a new infection," he told the Post.
Another prime research question is whether viral remnants of the coronavirus in certain parts of the body may be responsible for long-hauler COVID-19 symptoms.
"The thrust of the research right now is to see if there is any relationship between patients' symptoms post-COVID-19 and if that can be related to any measurable persistence of the virus within the body," Dr. Mehandru said.