Swedish researchers said on Monday they had identified a previously unknown virus that may cause many cases of serious respiratory infections in children.They named the virus human bocavirus and suggested the researchers start a systematic search for all the viruses that cause respiratory infections.The report, published in this week’s issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, underlines how little doctors know about the sources of most respiratory infections.A separate team of California researchers found they could only identify about 40 percent of viruses infecting patients, and both teams said rapid testing for viruses would be useful in diagnosing and treating respiratory illnesses.Health experts say this step was particularly important because there are fears that influenza, in particular avian influenza, could cause a global pandemic.Being able to test quickly to find out what is making someone sick can mean the difference between life and death because antiviral medications must be given early on to prevent serious illness in the case of influenza.
