The Dangerous Combination of the Hepatitis C virus and SARS-CoV-2

In her new study, Prof. Meital Gal-Tanamy, together with colleagues from the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine at Bar-Ilan University, the Israel Institute for Biological Research, and Rabin Medical Center, showed for the first time the coinfection of two viruses, SARS-CoV-2, that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) in liver cells, and the interplay between them. The study revealed a complex relationship of enhancement between the two viruses, wherein HCV infection facilitates SARS-CoV-2 entry, and SARS-CoV-2 infection subsequently enhanced HCV replication in liver cells (hepatocytes). These observations may explain the aggravation of liver damage reported in HCV-positive COVID-19 patients, and suggest pre-infection with HCV as a risk factor for severe COVID-19. In a broader view, the study emphasizes the importance of identifying co-infecting pathogens that increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and that may accelerate COVID-19-related co-morbidities.

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