MrBishop
Well-Known Member
TORONTO (CP) - Canadian scientists have identified a specific virus in samples from six SARS patients, lending weight to the idea that it is involved in the current outbreak circling the globe.
The virus is known as human metapneumovirus. But finding this piece of the puzzle of what is causing SARS may pose more questions than it answers. That's because human metapneumovirus is a relatively common virus which normally provokes mild respiratory ailments. "It can cause occasionally a severe illness, however it's most often a mild illness," said Dr. Frank Plummer, scientific director of Health Canada's national microbiology laboratory in Winnipeg, who announced the findings.
"So one of the puzzling things about this epidemic we're currently experiencing around the world is the severity of it."
Human metapneumovirus is a member of the family of viruses known as paramyxoviruses.
Source
In the days since the SARS outbreak was identified, scientists around the world have been scrambling to identify the bacteria or virus or other organism responsible. Evidence on two different continents now points to a virus - a specific virus in the paramyxovirus family (the same family as measles, mumps, and parainfluenza).
The virus is known as human metapneumovirus. But finding this piece of the puzzle of what is causing SARS may pose more questions than it answers. That's because human metapneumovirus is a relatively common virus which normally provokes mild respiratory ailments. "It can cause occasionally a severe illness, however it's most often a mild illness," said Dr. Frank Plummer, scientific director of Health Canada's national microbiology laboratory in Winnipeg, who announced the findings.
"So one of the puzzling things about this epidemic we're currently experiencing around the world is the severity of it."
Human metapneumovirus is a member of the family of viruses known as paramyxoviruses.
Source
In the days since the SARS outbreak was identified, scientists around the world have been scrambling to identify the bacteria or virus or other organism responsible. Evidence on two different continents now points to a virus - a specific virus in the paramyxovirus family (the same family as measles, mumps, and parainfluenza).
