Thelonevirologist (@thelonevirologist.bsky.social)

mGem: Deciphering how polyomaviruses coexist with their hosts for a lifetime | mBio It has been said that “Energy and persistence conquer all things” (Benjamin Franklin). Viral persistence refers to the ability of some viruses to establish long-term infections rather than being cleared by the immune response (1). While herpesviruses have a well-deserved reputation for lifelong latent and lytic infections, they are not unique in their ability to persist. Some small DNA viruses, such as polyomaviruses, with genomes 20–45 times smaller, also maintain chronic—and in some cases lifelong—infections, even in the face of an immune system dedicated to the eradication of invaders (2). How these enigmatic, small-genome viruses fly under the radar has only recently begun to be unraveled. Advances have highlighted an intricate interplay between viral transcriptional programs (3), microRNA (miRNA)-mediated regulation (3–5), host cell cycle cues (6–8), and a spectrum of persistent infection strategies, including smoldering (constant low-level replication and shedding) and episodic, high-output viral shedding (9). This review surveys historical milestones in polyomavirus persistence and presents emerging insights into the possibility of true latency and reactivation. https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.02311-25?utm_source=TOC&utm_medium=ealert&utm_campaign=TOC_v17_i2&ref=aa30dbeb-9a31-467a-8e2d-30143492bdc3