Clearance of gut mucosal SARS-CoV-2 antigens and post-acute COVID-19 after two years in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, 2024, Zollner et al.

Clearance of gut mucosal SARS-CoV-2 antigens and post-acute COVID-19 after two years in patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Andreas Zollner; Robert Koch; Almina Jukic; Alexandra Pfister; Moritz Meyer; Nikolaus Wick; Georg Wick; Annika Rössler; Janine Kimpel; Timon E. Adolph; Herbert Tilg

Persistent SARS-CoV-2 antigens in human tissue long beyond acute SARS-CoV-2 infection could be a cause of post-acute COVID-19, also termed long-COVID. In our previous endoscopy study in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), we linked viral antigen persistence in the gut mucosa ~7 months after acute infection with symptoms compatible with post-acute COVID-19. Whether patients are able to clear SARS-CoV-2 antigens and related symptoms is unknown.

Here, we report clearance of gut mucosal antigen persistence and restoration of serotonin concentration along with resolution of post-acute COVID-19 symptoms in IBD patients after 2 years, corroborating the link between viral antigen persistence and post-acute COVID-19.

Link | PDF (Gastroenterology)

 

Follows on from Postacute COVID-19 is Characterized by Gut Viral Antigen Persistence in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (2022, Gastroenterology)

 

I couldn't find mention of serotonin in that paper. In this paper they report serum concentrations in ng/mL and methods says —

Serotonin measurement is not straightforward (in platelet poor plasma) as noted in Long COVID-19 and Peripheral Serotonin: A Commentary and Reconsideration (2024, Journal of Inflammation Research) though that may not apply with the technique they used here?