Persistently activated virus-specific CD8 T cells indicate antigen-driven immune aberrations in long COVID — Painter et al
"These features are consistent with the presence of exhausted or partially exhausted spike-specific CD8 T cells in a subset of patients with LC and are indicative of chronic stimulation by a persistent reservoir of SARS-CoV2."
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.14.759221v1
bioRxivPersistently activated virus-specific CD8 T cells indicate antigen-driven immune aberrations in long COVIDLong COVID (LC) affects millions of people worldwide, yet its driving mechanisms remain incompletely defined and no treatment has been approved. Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 and reactivation of herpesviruses have been implicated in LC, but direct detection of these viral antigens in blood and tissues has been challenging. T cells are exquisitely sensitive to viral antigens, survey organs throughout t