SARS-CoV-2 infection and lytic reactivation of herpesviruses: A potential threat in the postpandemic era?

The outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is the causative pathogen for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, has greatly stressed our healthcare system. In addition to severe respiratory and systematic symptoms, several comorbidities increase the risk of fatal disease outcomes, including chronic viral infections. Increasing cases of lytic reactivation of human herpesviruses in COVID-19 patients and vaccinated people have been reported recently. SARS-CoV2 coinfection, COVID-19 treatments, and vaccination may aggravate those herpesvirus-associated diseases by reactivating the viruses in latently infected host cells. In this review, we summarize recent clinical findings and limited mechanistic studies regarding the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 and different human herpesviruses that suggest an ongoing potential threat to human health in the postpandemic era.