Long COVID Atlas
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Plain-language first, with specialist detail below. For understanding, not medical advice.

Long COVID Atlas › Glossary › Viral reservoir

Process

Viral reservoir

https://longcovidatlas.org/glossary/viral-reservoir

In plain language

What it is

A small amount of virus that lingers in body tissue after the acute infection has cleared from the nose.

Why it matters

It can keep shedding viral material and keep the immune system switched on for months.

Think of it like

Embers that stay hot after the fire looks out, enough to keep smoke rising.

A reservoir that keeps the immune system switched on Reservoir in gutand tissue(ACE2-rich) Spike antigen + viralRNA shed into blood Immune systemkept switched on downstream, this feeds: inflammation microclots autoimmunity found months to a year after infection
In some people the virus is not fully cleared. A small reservoir persists in tissue that is rich in the ACE2 receptor, especially the gut, and sheds viral protein and genetic material into the blood for months or longer. That steady trickle of antigen keeps the immune system switched on, which in turn can feed inflammation, microclots, and autoimmune activity. It is a driver that sits upstream of much of the rest.

For specialists

Formal definition

Persistent SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antigen in tissue, notably the ACE2-rich gut, detectable months to a year after infection.

Mechanism

Ongoing antigen exposure sustains immune activation and may feed inflammation, microclots, and autoimmunity.

Sources

Related terms

Spike proteinACE2Fibrinaloid microclots