Coronavirus persisting in faeces offers clues to cause of long Covid
- A US study found that about half of patients shed traces of Covid-19 in their waste in the week after infection, and almost 4 per cent patients still emit them seven months later
- The researchers also linked coronavirus RNA in faeces to gastric upsets, and concluded that Sars-CoV-2 likely directly infects the gastrointestinal tract, where it may hide out
Covid-19 patients can harbour the coronavirus in their faeces for months after infection, researchers found, stoking concern that its persistence can aggravate the immune system and cause long Covid symptoms.
In the largest study tracking Sars-CoV-2 RNA in faeces and Covid-19 symptoms, scientists at California’s Stanford University found that about half of infected patients shed traces of the virus in their waste in the week after infection and almost 4 per cent patients still emit them seven months later.
The researchers also linked coronavirus RNA in faeces to gastric upsets, and concluded that Sars-CoV-2 likely directly infects the gastrointestinal tract, where it may hide out.
“It raises the question that ongoing infections in hidden parts of the body may be important for long Covid,” said Stanford associate professor of medicine and genetics Ami Bhatt, a senior author on the study published online last week in the journal Med.
Lingering virus might directly invade cells and damage tissues or produce proteins that are provoking the immune system, she said in an interview.