A hybrid virus of influenza and RSV is said to be able to cause serious respiratory diseases. That’s what researchers found. The pathogens bypass the immune system and presumably increase the risk of a severe course of the disease.
It is not uncommon for two respiratory viruses to infect a human at the same time. Until now, researchers have not been able to clearly explain how the co-infections occur and how the pathogens react in the organism. A team of researchers from the University of Glasgow has now found the first clues to the mechanism behind it. Accordingly, two of the viruses fuse with each other and even bypass the immune system, which could worsen the course of the disease.
Researchers discover hybrid viruses of influenza and RSV
Respiratory viruses all aim to infect a region of the body. So they’re also in a kind of community.”We need to understand how these infections occur in relation to each other in order to get a fuller picture of the biology of each one virus to obtain”, quotes the “GuardiansStudy leader Dr. Joanne Haney. To understand this process, they infected lung cells with influenza virus A and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The two viruses then fused together, the scientists said in the study published in the journal Nature Microbiology.
Hybrid virus is said to promote fatal lung infection
‘This type of hybrid virus has never been described before,’ said Prof Pablo Murcia, who led the study. “These are viruses from two completely different families that combine with the genomes and the outer proteins of both viruses. It is a new type of viral agent.” What is also amazing about the connection is that the hybrid virus was able to penetrate neighboring cells and even bypassed antibodies against the influenza virus. For this, RSV proteins were used, which infected other lung cells.
This could potentially increase the risk of developing severe viral pneumonia, suggests Dr. Stephen Griffin Dr. Stephen Griffin, virologist at Leeds University. In the worst case, this lung infection can be fatal. In general, the influenza virus does not penetrate as deeply and is more likely to affect the nose, throat or trachea. However, RSV penetrates deeper into the lung tissue. According to Griffin, however, more research is needed to prove that hybrid viruses can cause serious diseases. The research team now wants to find out whether not only influenza and RSV, but also other virus combinations can form hybrids. “My guess is that this is the case. And I would guess that this is also the case with animals [Viren] the case is. This is just the beginning of a long journey that will hopefully bring very interesting discoveries,” Murcia said.
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