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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Linda Geddes Science correspondent

REVEALED: Immune system evading hybrid virus observed for first time | Rare Historical Photos

A woman looking at matter under a microscope.
As well as helping the viruses evade the immune system, joining forces may also enable them to access more lung cells. Photograph: David Davies/PA

Two common respiratory viruses can fuse to form a hybrid virus capable of evading the human immune system, and infecting lung cells – the first time such viral cooperation has ever been observed.

Researchers believe the findings could help to explain why co-infections can lead to significantly worse disease for some patients, including hard-to-treat viral pneumonia.

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