tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Influenza Other Respir Viruses
. 2025 Jan;19(1):e70068.
doi: 10.1111/irv.70068. SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load and Cytokine Dynamics Profile as Early Signatures of Long COVID Condition in Hospitalized Individuals
Jacobo Alonso Domínguez[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Inés Martínez Barros[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Irene Viéitez[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Mercedes Peleteiro[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Beatriz Calderón-Cruz[SUP] 4 [/SUP], José A González-Nóvoa[SUP] 5 6 [/SUP], Alexandre Pérez González[SUP] 1 7 [/SUP], Virginia Leiro Fernández[SUP] 8 9 [/SUP], Aida López López[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Eva Poveda López[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Background: The global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in millions of people experiencing long COVID condition, a range of persistent symptoms following the acute phase, with an estimated prevalence of 27%-64%.
Materials and methods: To understand its pathophysiology, we conducted a longitudinal study on viral load and cytokine dynamics in individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. We used reverse transcriptase droplet digital PCR to quantify viral RNA from nasopharyngeal swabs and employed multiplex technology to measure plasma cytokine levels in a cohort of people with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our study included individuals with long COVID condition and those without, all of whom had at least three nasopharyngeal and plasma samples collected within 55 days after diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Results: Individuals affected with long COVID symptoms had delayed viral clearance and lower viral loads at diagnosis compared to those without symptoms. Additionally, cytokine analysis revealed variations in IL-18, MIG, and IP-10 levels, with delayed normalization in individuals affected by long COVID syndrome. Correlation analysis indicated associations between viral load and IP-10 and interrelations among cytokines IL-1β, IL-18, MIG, and IP-10.
Conclusion: Our study provides insights into the association between nasopharyngeal viral load, cytokine dynamics, and the development of long COVID syndrome, providing an early signature of this condition.
Keywords: SARS‐CoV‐2; cytokines; long COVID condition; viral load.
. 2025 Jan;19(1):e70068.
doi: 10.1111/irv.70068. SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load and Cytokine Dynamics Profile as Early Signatures of Long COVID Condition in Hospitalized Individuals
Jacobo Alonso Domínguez[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Inés Martínez Barros[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Irene Viéitez[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Mercedes Peleteiro[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Beatriz Calderón-Cruz[SUP] 4 [/SUP], José A González-Nóvoa[SUP] 5 6 [/SUP], Alexandre Pérez González[SUP] 1 7 [/SUP], Virginia Leiro Fernández[SUP] 8 9 [/SUP], Aida López López[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Eva Poveda López[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 39800769
- DOI: 10.1111/irv.70068
Background: The global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in millions of people experiencing long COVID condition, a range of persistent symptoms following the acute phase, with an estimated prevalence of 27%-64%.
Materials and methods: To understand its pathophysiology, we conducted a longitudinal study on viral load and cytokine dynamics in individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. We used reverse transcriptase droplet digital PCR to quantify viral RNA from nasopharyngeal swabs and employed multiplex technology to measure plasma cytokine levels in a cohort of people with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our study included individuals with long COVID condition and those without, all of whom had at least three nasopharyngeal and plasma samples collected within 55 days after diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Results: Individuals affected with long COVID symptoms had delayed viral clearance and lower viral loads at diagnosis compared to those without symptoms. Additionally, cytokine analysis revealed variations in IL-18, MIG, and IP-10 levels, with delayed normalization in individuals affected by long COVID syndrome. Correlation analysis indicated associations between viral load and IP-10 and interrelations among cytokines IL-1β, IL-18, MIG, and IP-10.
Conclusion: Our study provides insights into the association between nasopharyngeal viral load, cytokine dynamics, and the development of long COVID syndrome, providing an early signature of this condition.
Keywords: SARS‐CoV‐2; cytokines; long COVID condition; viral load.