Eric Topol

Important discovery related to LongCovid: Fragments of SARS-CoV-2 virus can reassemble into "zombie" complexes (XenoAMP-dsDNA) and induce a major and sustained immune response, affecting healthy, uninfected cells, not seen with common cold coronaviruses

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2300644120

Feb 2, 2024 at 9:40pmWeb
Show threadOliver D. ReithmaierFeb 2, 2024
@erictopol this is major. If we know whether these fragments are deterministic and low in structural variation, we can design antibodies for them. If the implied causality is right, this could mean the end of long COVID.
Show thread@pineywoozle ‘s #3WordNoteFeb 3, 2024
@odr_k4tana I wonder since Olive leaf extract can increase the immune response against viruses by stimulating phagocytosis, if anyone has done any studies to see how effective it might be against long COVID. The exact mechanism olive leaf extract uses to fight viruses isn’t fully understood. But it has documented antiviral properties.@erictopol
Show threadWendy NatherFeb 2, 2024
@erictopol I do not have wolves inside of me. I have zombies.
Show threadDagnabbit, Pascaline! 💥Feb 2, 2024
@erictopol
Oh god, this is so bad.
Thanks for posting.
Show threadAndrei KucharavyFeb 2, 2024
@erictopol We really need to get Eddie Holmes on here, because I no longer have the context to evaluate how that translate to actionable insights.
Show threadsabikFeb 3, 2024

@andrei_chiffa @erictopol
Actionable insight: don't catch covid

(wear FFP2/N95 respirator; if responsible for a space where people meet, ensure clean air)

Show threadThe FrogFeb 2, 2024

@erictopol

I have the feeling that COVID might not be the only virus acting this way, and this might explain a lot of autoimmune diseases... the difference with COVID being it is more widespread and more severe.

I'm cautiously optimistic it might help medical science to cure a variety of debilitating yet not lethal diseases.

Show threadLaukidhFeb 3, 2024

@Lily_and_frog @erictopol you might be right; we have established Epstein Barr as the virus that turns into Multiple Sclerosis.

Mechanism might be different but still.

Show threadLaukidhFeb 3, 2024

This got boosted a bit so here’s a couple links. https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2022/01/epstein-barr-virus-multiple-sclerosis.html

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/study-suggests-epstein-barr-virus-may-cause-multiple-sclerosis

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/epstein-barr-virus-may-be-leading-cause-of-multiple-sclerosis/

Study identifies how Epstein-Barr virus triggers multiple sclerosis

A new study found that part of the Epstein-Barr virus mimics a protein made in the brain and spinal cord, leading the immune system to mistakenly attack the body’s nerve cells.

News Center
Show threadMidwest BobFeb 2, 2024
@erictopol That does not sound good. Thanks for the information.
Show threadTimothy Schwinghamer (he/him)Feb 3, 2024
@erictopol mother of god
Show threadkaffandoFeb 3, 2024

@erictopol
It's ALL FINE 🔥

#COVIDwillNEVERbeover

Show threadLars FischerFeb 3, 2024
@erictopol How is this LongCovid-related? The authors of the paper state that this may happen with viral clearance of acute infection and may explain a host of strange symptoms during acute illness.
Show threadMvRiederbergFeb 3, 2024
@Fischblog @erictopol "Delivery of these complexes to uninfected mice boosts plasma interleukin-6 and CXCL1 levels as observed in COVID-19 patients." Interleukin-6 and CXCL1 are imho typical markers of LongCovid.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9895110/
Biomarkers in long COVID-19: A systematic review

Long COVID, also known as post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, refers to the constellation of long-term symptoms experienced by people suffering persistent symptoms for one or more months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Blood biomarkers can be altered in long ...

PubMed Central (PMC)
Show threadLars FischerFeb 3, 2024
@mavori @erictopol Thanks. That strikes me as rather... tenuous on several levels, tbh.
Show threadPēteris KrišjānisFeb 3, 2024
@erictopol it is very interesting. Granted, we might see this post virus effects with other viruses as well, we just never invested into researching it because of scale SARS-CoV-2 brings with its prevalence and ferocity. This might explain why people suffer long after the virus itself is gone.
Show threadˈdälfən™🐬 💥 🌊Feb 3, 2024
@erictopol People should still be wearing masks (e.g, N95s)
Show threadDucky 🇨🇦Feb 3, 2024
@erictopol So why does Long COVID persist? Won't the body clear out those xeno proteins eventually? Or does the body not garbage-collect proteins? (Or not proteins it thinks are "self"?) Or does this imply that there has to be a reservoir of SARS-CoV-2 in the body somewhere?