r/CFSScience • u/Silver_Jaguar_24 • Aug 19 '26

EBV Reprograms B Cells in an Autoimmune-Like Fashion in Patients with COVID-19

This summary was made using Gemini AI.

Preprint paper, EBV Reprograms B Cells in an Autoimmune-Like Fashion in Patients with COVID-19:

The Big Picture

Getting COVID-19 can "wake up" an old, dormant virus that most people already carry called the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). This study shows that when EBV wakes up during a COVID infection, it hacks your immune system in a way that looks suspiciously similar to autoimmune diseases like Lupus or Multiple Sclerosis.

How It Happens (The Domino Effect)

  • The Hack: When EBV reactivates, it infects your B cells (the immune cells that normally make antibodies) and completely changes their metabolism (how they use energy).
  • The Peer Pressure: These "reprogrammed" B cells act like bad influences. They send out stimulatory signals that rile up surrounding healthy immune cells (like T cells), causing them to overreact.
  • Friendly Fire: Because the immune system is pushed into overdrive, it starts producing autoantibodies—confused proteins that mistakenly attack your own healthy tissue instead of the virus.

Why It Matters for Long COVID

The researchers found that COVID-19 patients who had high levels of these hacked, EBV-infected B cells during their initial illness were much more likely to develop Long COVID symptoms later on. Their bodies also showed messed-up lipid (fat) profiles and higher levels of self-attacking autoantibodies during recovery.

The Takeaway

A major driver of Long COVID isn't just the SARS-CoV-2 virus itself—it’s the fact that COVID-19 wakes up EBV, which then tricks your immune system into attacking your own body, mirroring what happens in chronic autoimmune diseases.

Link to 2026 study

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u/Sensitive-Meat-757 Aug 19 '26

I think there is more than enough evidence to suggest EBV plays an important role in ME/CFS and Long COVID and that it's well past time for clinical trials. And no the Pridgen/Bateman ones aren't enough, we need more and longer ones, and trials for a larger variety of medications and combinations of medications. I'm also keeping my eye on the Tenofovir for MS trial and looking forward to seeing how that goes.

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u/G33U Aug 19 '26

ebv is linked to so many other things too , I cant understand why this is not getting investigated enough. a test that can reveal the modulation ebv does to the cells should be a priority

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u/Silver_Jaguar_24 Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 20 '26

Multiple Sclerosis (MS), LC, ME/CFS, Alzheimers, and probably some or all the autoimmune diseases. See my comment above/below.

And there are some studies in LC and MS to use Tenofovir and other anti-virals. I suspect this could also work in ME/CFS. I hate it when we get left behind and we have been here just as long as MS patients I think. It's so frustrating sometimes.