Post-COVID impairment of memory T cell responses to community-acquired pathogens can be rectified by activating cellular metabolism.

ABSTRACT: Infection rates involving bacterial and viral pathogens have increased precipitously after the COVID-19 pandemic. While it has been speculated that higher infection rates resulted from increased hospitalizations throughout the pandemic or greater use of antibiotics, precisely why rates remain high today has remained unexplained. Mitochondrial dysfunction is known to occur post-COVID and may disrupt immune responses. Within T cells, SARS-CoV-2 infection is linked to low mitochondrial membrane potential, increased mitochondrial apoptosis, and decreased mitochondrial respiration, which together impact cellular activation and function beyond the acute phase of illness. Here, we demonstrate that decreased mitochondrial function in antigen-specific T cells post-COVID may contribute to higher inf

SUBMITTER: Carroll DD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12776401 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature