Edinburgh and Cambridge scientists join forces on genetics research

Scientists working together from the Universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge have conducted a four-month investigation into RNA viruses, an emerging string of viruses including HIV, SARS, and flu.

Their data suggests that when viruses migrate to a distant species they are able to spread easily among species closely related to the new host, regardless of distance from the original. These findings could help to create a greater understanding of diseases such as avian flu, which spread from birds to humans.

Leading the study was Dr Ben Longdon of the University of Edinburgh’s school of Biological Sciences. He told The Journal: “Emerging diseases such as SARS, HIV and some types of flu have all got into humans from other species. Understanding how diseases jump between different species is essential if we want to predict the appearance of new diseases in the future."

More than 50 species of flies were infected with three different viruses during the tests. Researchers showed that the species of flies most likely to be infected were those closest to the original host species. An additional result was that closely related groups of flies seemed to be susceptible to the same viruses.

It is believed that humans many be affected in the same way, with research showing that where a primate is susceptible to a new disease, humans may be too.

Dr Longdon said: “The next steps will be to see if we can detect such patterns in the field, as it is also important to consider the amount of exposure to the novel parasite. We may be more likely to catch a virus from a chimp than a cow, but we have much greater rates of contact with cows than we do with chimps.”

The study was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Natural Environment Research Council, the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society. The full study was published in the journal PLoS Pathogens.