It is the first time in history that two respiratory viruses can combine to form a hybrid virus that can evade the human immune system.
It is believed that the findings can help to explain why co-infections can lead to worse disease for some patients.
Respiratory syncytial virus is the leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections in children under five years old and can cause serious illness in some children and older adults.
It was not known how the viruses would respond if they were inside the same cell.
According to the leader of the study, respiratory viruses are part of a community of many viruses that all target the same area of the body.
We need to understand how these infections occur in order to understand the biology of each individual virus.
In order to investigate, Haney and her colleagues deliberatelyinfecting human lung cells with both viruses and found that, instead of competing with one another, they fused together to form a palm tree-shaped hybridviruses.
Prof Murcia said that this type of hybrid virus had never been described before. We are talking about viruses from two completely different families that have the same genes and are very similar in appearance. It is a new type ofviruses.
The hybrid virus was able to cause infections even if the immune system was not strong. The hybrid virus used a different method to get at lung cells than it did with the flu vaccine. According to Murcia, Influenza is using hybrid viral particles as a ruse.
They can access a wider range of lung cells if they join forces. Respiratory syncytial virus prefers windpipe and lung cells over the cells in the nose, throat and windpipe.
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It's possible that it could increase the chances of flu causing a fatal lung disease called viral pneumonia. There is more research that needs to be done to prove that hybrid viruses are involved in human disease. He said thatRSV tends to go lower into the lung than the seasonal flu.
If we don't take precautions to protect our health, this hybridisation will happen all the more.
The team was able to show that the hybrid viruses could cause serious harm. The cells are stuck to one another and the virus particles have to go in and out in the right way.
The next step is to find out if hybrid viruses can be found in patients with co-infections. Murcia said, "We need to know if this happens only withInfluenza andRSV, or if it extends to other viruses as well." I think that it does. I think it extends to animalviruses. This is the beginning of a long journey of hopefully very interesting discoveries.
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