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Cold weather flu findings open up potential for flu treatments
05 Mar 2008
Scientists claim to have discovered why flu viruses tend to hit in cold weather, potentially aiding new developments in treatments to prevent flu.
A team from the US National Institutes of Health have found that the virus is coated in a fatty material that gives it protection from cold temperatures.
This robust coating then melts in the warmth of the respiratory tract - causing the virus to infect the patient.
Joshua Zimmerberg, lead author of the research explained: "Like an M&M in your mouth, the protective covering melts when it enters the respiratory tract.
"It's only in this liquid phase that the virus is capable of entering a cell to infect it."
The study, published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, also found that in the summer the coating melts before it can even reach the patient.
Scientists now believe that the research could pave the way for further research into how to prevent flu.
"Now that we understand how the flu virus protects itself so that it can spread from person to person, we can work on ways to interfere with that protective mechanism," Dr Dr Duane Alexander, director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said.
Click here to learn more about Flu
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