New Cold Strain Could Pose 'Serious Threat to Public Health'
The photograph shows two virus types; the larger virus particles are adenovirus viruses. The small featureless particles seen mostly clumped between the adenovirus particles are parvovirus viruses. Bar = 100 nanometers. F.P. Williams, EPA

A new cold strain found in four children in Bangladesh could pose a serious threat to public health, according to research released Wednesday.

Researchers identified the new strain of adenovirus, called HAdV-65, in stool samples from Bangladeshi children who became ill with stomach flu between October 2004 and March 2005.

Researchers sequenced the cold strain surprised who noted that the novel virus came from two known viruses recombining.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published the work Wednesday in its online journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

The study authors in Japan and the U.S. wrote that the recombination might make the virus more efficient at newly infecting humans and escaping the immune system.

This finding indicates that this virus might be a newly emerging (novel human adenovirus strain D), which might be a serious threat to public health, the authors concluded.

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