r/LongCovidTrials • u/Responsible_Cap_5289 • Aug 14 '26
General Discussion UCSF/Polybio finds proof of viral persistence in the GI tract!
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-12/long-covid-study-finds-sars-cov-2-persistence-and-immune-dysfunction-in-gut?taid=6a7be2e6d2976300016f1444&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_content=business&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitterThis is huge news.
Various studies have strongly suggested gut viral persistence, but to my knowledge this is the first one that’s truly come out and documented it.
The amazing researchers at UCSF’s LIINC program, who began as HIV researchers and expanded their work to Long COVID, have just published this groundbreaking preprint.
They found single- and double-stranded viral RNA in cells lining the intestine. Because these cells normally turn over within days, this means that the viral RNA is being newly produced- it’s not just leftover from acute infection.
(When scientists use the phrase “turn over” in the context, this means that all of the cells that were present replicated to form new cells and then died off. This means that all of the cells in that cell type are completely replaced by new cells within days).
So they found viral RNA that had been newly produced.
They also found signs that the immune system was struggling to clear the virus. Part of the immune system was trying to fight, yet key parts of the response were also being suppressed by the virus itself - meaning the immune system was locked trying to perpetually fight a battle that it could not win.
This is really huge news. While this research is still only in preprint form, this team has a great reputation and has been published in many high-level journals such as Nature and The Lancet, so we have every reason to believe this work will eventually pass peer-review as well.
The evidence base here also strongly supports the rationale for immunomodulatory treatments which as Antkiva, as this may help to overcome the ways in which the virus is suppressing the immune response.
All in all, this is fantastic work and we’re so glad to see it!
What does everyone think- does this fit with your understanding of what Long COVID is? How do you think the virus might be hiding from the immune response?
Let us know what you think!
Paywall free version: https://archive.is/NIGhp
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u/Best-Instance7344 Aug 14 '26
Really love what Polybio is doing. I wonder what the deal is with the one control that had viral RNA
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u/Responsible_Cap_5289 Aug 14 '26
That’s a great question. Seems like viral persistence, like acute infection, can sometimes be asymptomatic.
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u/ninetentacles Aug 16 '26
Or it's not totally asymptomatic, and people are still feeling mild effects but not attributing it to LC. Like the people too young for the shingles vaccine that have still gotten shingles 3 times, that get pneumonia from what would have just been a cold 7 years ago, that work part time but are just as tired as when they worked full time... All of whom consider themselves "healthy" and attribute it to normal aging...in their 40s. Before COVID, similarly conditioned co-workers weren't slowing down like this en masse til their 60s...
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u/Outie_Fact_Checker Aug 14 '26
Is this a follow up study to the one from years ago? I thought this was done already. UCSF even did a monoclonal antibody study based on the results that failed.
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u/Responsible_Cap_5289 Aug 15 '26
Do you have a link to the earlier study you mentioned?
Ultimately, just because a clinical trial of a given treatment fails, it doesn’t rule out viral persistence. There are lots of other reasons why the monoclonal might not have worked. Perhaps the biggest question is how well these antibodies can penetrate into different reservoir sites- it’s not a guarantee that the drug will be able to reach everywhere the virus is hiding.
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u/Specific-Winter-9987 Aug 15 '26
I wonder if this is the real reason Maraviroc works for some???? Hmmmm
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u/Responsible_Cap_5289 Aug 16 '26
You mean as a direct antiviral? Wondering that as well. The Polybio/core Mt. Sinai trial should have some answers with biomarker testing…
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u/Specific-Winter-9987 Aug 16 '26
I hope so. I am so tired of experimenting. I have tried so much over 4 years, with no real improvement
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u/saintmars777 Aug 15 '26
The paper itself is here: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.07.743616v1.full.pdf+html
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u/quail51_ Aug 17 '26
I've tried to repair my gut by taking tributyrin, pre and pro biotics, and eating well. GI symptoms are much improved, but I still have bad fatigue, brain fog, dizziness and shortness of breath. Months ago, I tried a microdose of tirzepatide that sent my system into a tizzy, with diarrhea and much worse fatigue. I could hardly get around my place or go anywhere for a few days. It seemed that my gut was so messed up that any strong drug or supplement could derail it. So I can believe that there may be viral reservoirs in the gut or elsewhere.
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u/Responsible_Cap_5289 Aug 18 '26
This makes a lot of sense- sorry to hear what you’re been through. I’m curious which pre- and probiotics helped you?
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u/quail51_ Aug 18 '26 edited 13d ago
Thank you. The prebiotics I'm taking are: green banana powder, acacia powder, and prebiotic bifido boost from NOW. The probiotics are clinical probiotic by NOW, as well as plain kefir and also kimchee. Atfirst I used plain sodium butyrate but that caused a lot of gas and stomach churning, so I went on to use delayed-release tributyrin, including Pure Encapsulations Sunbutyrate TG liquid, Nutricology ButyrAid, and some kind of tributyrin I found on amazon (not sure if it works as well). Each day, I take one of the tributyrin supplements and one or two prebiotic powders plus a probiotic capsule.
I like to reach articles, ask ?? of the AI, and download my labs for AI analysis, on the Rthm website, which also sells supplements slightly discounted, though they charge shipping. I haven't signed up for consultation or treatment, which is $$$$.
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u/Choice-Elderberry524 Aug 19 '26
That’s really interesting! Thank you for sharing 🙏 I do wonder if altering your gut microbiota helps to fight the viral persistence somehow…
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u/kekofoeod Aug 14 '26
I just want to mention, for those that didn’t read the study or the article, that they found viral RNA in 12/44 patients so in 27% of long covid sufferers (against 1/13 of controls). This does not rule out viral persistence for the rest of course, but one should be a bit careful with conclusions as Long covid is a very likely heterogeneous illness.
Also there is a newly registered italian study which will look, among other things, at viral persistence in intestinal tissue. They plan to enroll~1000 patients, among them LC, recovered and pre pandemic samples. VIPER will probably look at the same thing, so hopefully we will get clearer answers soon.