Experts warn of the possibility that, before the arrival of winter, three viruses will converge: Covid-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
The arrival of the cold, according to experts, can lead to the appearance of a ‘tripedemia’. The term refers to the coincidence of an increased incidence of SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus.
For now, a team of researchers from the University of Glasgow (United Kingdom) has discovered that, when placed together in human tissue, influenza A virus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes bronchiolitis, can merge, forming a hybrid virus.
In their article published in the journal Nature Microbiology, the group describes how they carried out experiments in which they mixed different types of viruses in Petri dishes containing human lung cells, and what they discovered in doing so.
Previous research has shown that the flu virus tends to infect the windpipe, throat and nose, leading to symptoms associated with the flu. RSV infections, on the other hand, tend to infect the cells of the throat and lungs. Since RSV cases have increased as spring approaches.
In their work, the researchers placed lung cells in a Petri dish and then added samples of both viruses. They then stood back and watched what happened. They found that after infecting cells, the two types of virus fused into a hybrid virus. The result was a virus that was shaped like a palm tree with the RSV virus forming the trunk and the influenza virus the leafy part at the top.
By analyzing the hybrid virus, the researchers found that it was capable of infecting other nearby cells. They also revealed that when it did, the antibodies that arrived to fight the flu infection did not work as they usually did. This was because the hybrid had infected some of the cells with RSV proteins.
Although not yet proven, the researchers suspect that the hybrid is probably more capable of infecting a broader type of cell than either virus alone. They also point out that these types of infections could lead to serious lung infections, since RSV viruses tend to penetrate deeper into the lungs.
The researchers plan to continue their study of the hybrid virus, seeking first to determine whether it can form inside the human body. They also want to know if other types of hybrid viruses are formed when people become infected with more than one virus.
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