That the SarsCoV2 virus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic plays a role in the abnormal hepatitis observed so far in children is a hypothesis that is gaining increasing credit: "despite the great attention towards adenovirus, it is important to consider the role of the virus SarsCov 2, in the light of the effects related to the multisystemic inflammatory syndrome of children ", observes the virologist Francesco Broccolo, of the University of Milan Bicocca.
"So far, he continues, it is noted that adenovirus type 41-F has been detected in 71% of cases of multisystem syndrome, but it is also true - continues the expert - that it had never been associated with acute hepatitis so far" .
To this observation, we add the fact that, "of the 12 cases of acute hepatitis recognized in Israel, 11 had been infected with SarsCoV2 in recent months and that most of the reported cases of hepatitis concerned patients who had not been vaccinated" .
Furthermore, the expert continues, in abnormal hepatitis it has been observed that "a stimulation of T lymphocytes by the SarsCov2 virus" takes place and the hypothesis is increasingly probable that "acute hepatitis may be a post Covid complication, which occurs several weeks after infection: It remains to be seen whether there is a link only with SarsCoV2 or with both viruses, ie SarsCov2 and adenovirus ".
Research so far released on online platforms and not yet subjected to review by the scientific community would indicate that the presence of viral particles would also be able to stimulate B lymphocytes, other immune cells responsible for producing a large amount of antibodies for many pathogens.
A process that, according to Broccolo, could be explained by the hypothesis, recently advanced, of a super-antigen induced by the persistence of the virus in some 'sanctuaries', i.e. organs in which it can hide undisturbed, releasing particles that would continue to stimulate the immune system .
In children, a probable refuge for the virus could be the intestine.
"The abnormal hepatitis - notes the virologist - could be the tip of the iceberg of the post Covid,
also considering that the circulation of the SarsCoV2 virus is currently still high, as is the high incidence, while few tests are done.
It is probable - he concludes - that many infections are submerged because they are asymptomatic and that, in the face of this high circulation of the virus which has the gastrointestinal tract as its sanctuary, a continuous immunostimulation characterized by high levels of antibodies occurs ".
