Croup Blog

Novel Virus 'Jumped' From Monkeys to Humans, Researchers Find

Posted 14 Jul 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, July 14 – A novel version of a virus responsible for many well-known illnesses in humans and animals has managed to jump from one species and spark infection in another, according to researchers. This "jumping" virus is from the adenovirus family, responsible for the common cold, croup, pneumonia and many other illnesses in humans. Until now – unlike other types of viruses – these particular germs have not been thought capable of cross-species transmission. The finding stems from a high-tech investigation of a 2009 California laboratory outbreak that ravaged a population of New World titi research monkeys. The never-before-seen virus that caused a high rate of death among the primates is the same virus that sickened a lab researcher who had come into direct contact with the infected animals, the scientists reported. And once the virus migrated to a human host, it continued ... Read more

Related support groups: Pneumonia, Cold Symptoms, Croup