Flu and RSV coinfection creates entirely new untreatable hybrid

Flu and RSV coinfection creates entirely new untreatable hybrid The flu and a seasonal common cold virus can fuse together and create an entirely new pathogen, scientists have shown for the first time.

Influenza A and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) - which is wreaking havoc on US hospitals - were found to combine and create not one but two new hybrid viruses.

The experiments were done in human lung cells in a laboratory, but there is nothing to suggest the same process won't occur in a person infected with both illnesses. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Coinfection by influenza A virus and respiratory syncytial virus produces hybrid virus particles (open access) Nature Microbiology