Il semble qu’il s’agisse d’un paramyxovirus.

[Paramyxoviruses are viruses associated predominantly with respiratory

infections (the parainfluenza viruses, and respiratory syncytial virus

(RSV)) and common childhood illnesses (mumps and measles). Some of these

viruses are ubiquitous (in particular human RSV) and it would not be

exceptional to detect one of these viruses fortuitously by electron

microscopy in any virus screening exercise. In general, paramyxoviruses

only infect vertebrates and no arthropod vectors are known. Unexpectedly,

in recent years several new paramyxoviruses have been discovered.

Predominant among these are _Hendra virus_ and _Nipah virus_, 2 related

viruses isolated from bats in Australia and South East Asia, which have

been responsible for outbreaks of severe disease in the human population.

These two viruses differ significantly from other paramyxoviruses in

molecular terms and might not be detected by PCR without the use of

specific primers. Other novel paramyxoviruses of unknown pathogenic

potential are _Salem virus_, isolated from a horse in North America,

_Tupaia paramyxovirus_, isolated from a tree shrew (_Tupaia_ sp.) in

Thailand, and a heterogeneous collection of paramyxoviruses isolated from

snakes, lizards, and turtles. Perhaps the most surprising discovery was the

recent characterization of a novel pneumovirus (that is, a member of the

sub-family _Pneumovirinae_ of the family _Paramyxoviridae)), designated

_Human metapneumovirus_, which is associated with respiratory illness in

infancy worldwide. Consequently a novel paramyxovirus must rank high among

candidates for the etiologic agent of SARS. - Mod.CP]

Jean Levasseur

URG-L: Le mysterieux virus est identifie

Répondre à