Herpes Coming Out of Dormancy?? Less Gnarly than Anticipated

Several days ago there was a study published in Frontiers in Microbiology  about herpes virus reactivation in astronauts in space. About 50% of astronauts that were exposed to spaceflight, as well as over 60% of astronauts aboard the International Space Station had reactivation of herpes viruses ranging from Varicella Zoster to Epstein Barr Virus to the less malignant Herpes Simplex 1. While this is a very shocking headline that could freak out the casual observer (viruses re-emerging like the Kraken from the depths of the human immune system??), this is actually less bad than anticipated. Viruses like EBV or HSV are characterized by their ability to resurface during times of stress. Shockingly enough, intense and risk-prone spaceflight is an example of a high stress period. While the shedding of the virus caused by exposure to space and associated cortisol levels isn't great for the astronaut's overall health, it probably isn't terrible either as the astronauts have most likely been previously exposed to these common diseases. All in all, I would recommend strengthening the immune system as much as possible pre-flight and (of course!) a strict regimen of handwashing.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00016/full

Anja Zehfuss