Shocking Discovery Reveals New Hybrid Virus Behind Mysterious Pneumonia and Eye Outbreaks in Germany
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jul 06, 2025 7 hours, 15 minutes ago
Thailand Medical News: A new and potentially dangerous viral strain has been identified as the cause behind an outbreak of respiratory and eye infections in Germany. Scientists from the University Hospital Tuebingen, the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), the Hannover Medical School, and the German National Adenovirus Reference Laboratory have confirmed the existence of a novel recombinant adenovirus, officially named HAdV-B114.
Shocking Discovery Reveals New Hybrid Virus Behind Mysterious Pneumonia and Eye Outbreaks in Germany
This
Thailand Medical News report highlights the hidden threat posed by this virus, which mimicked the more common adenovirus type HAdV-B3, yet revealed far more serious impacts including severe pneumonia, systemic illness, and even blood clotting disorders. The virus has been circulating undetected for possibly decades under misidentified labels due to its genetic similarities to older strains. However, advanced genome sequencing exposed its true nature.
How the Virus Went Undetected for Years
The initial alarm was raised in 2023 when German virologists noticed a sudden surge in what appeared to be HAdV-B3 infections, especially in patients with serious respiratory symptoms and eye inflammation. Upon closer inspection using high-throughput sequencing and gene analysis, researchers discovered that this was not a typical HAdV-B3 virus.
HAdV-B114, as it is now called, is a recombinant virus made up of genetic components from three different adenovirus types. Its penton gene comes from HAdV-B7, a strain previously associated with deadly outbreaks. The hexon and fiber genes, however, match those of HAdV-B3. This unique combination appears to give HAdV-B114 enhanced infectiousness and a wider range of symptoms.
Some patients developed conjunctivitis, others pneumonia or systemic infections—and in one rare case, a child developed blood clots in the brain.
Alarming Clinical Cases in Germany
At the University Hospital Tuebingen, three patients were identified with severe illnesses linked to HAdV-B114. Two adults who had previously received bone marrow transplants developed pneumonia and viral DNA was detected in their blood and stool, indicating widespread infection. Both required hospital care for over a week.
A more shocking case involved a seven-year-old girl who was hospitalized for 32 days after developing a serious blood clot in her brain, caused by HAdV-B114-related thrombocytopenia. She required intensive care and mechanical ventilation. All patients fortunately survived but needed extensive treatment, including antiviral drugs like cidofovir and acyclovir.
Highly Contagious and Spreading in Households
In addition to the severe respiratory cases, doctors at the University Hospital Tuebingen also treated 16 individuals for eye infections caused by the virus. These cases involved red eyes, itching, and a gritty feeling. Many of these patients reported that fam
ily members also had similar symptoms, indicating that the virus was spreading easily within households. Laboratory tests confirmed very high viral loads in their eye swabs.
A Virus Hiding in Plain Sight for Decades
Through retrospective analysis of older samples and global databases, researchers found that HAdV-B114 was not new at all. The virus was hiding in plain sight for years and had often been mislabeled as the less severe HAdV-B3. In fact, genome samples dating back as far as 2007—and even from countries like the United States, China, and Japan—were actually HAdV-B114. Its close resemblance to the historic genome type “3a” further confused identification until full genome sequencing revealed its true identity.
Why the Virus Is More Dangerous Than Others
What makes HAdV-B114 more concerning is its genetic design. Its penton protein, which helps the virus attach to host cells, contains key mutations shared with other highly virulent strains like HAdV-B7 and HAdV-B66. These mutations increase the virus’s ability to infect lung and eye tissues. It also shares several early genes with HAdV-B66, a strain once responsible for fatal respiratory outbreaks in South America.
The virus seems especially harmful in people with weakened immune systems, older individuals, and children. The post-pandemic era, with fewer children exposed to viruses during lockdowns, may have allowed this reemergent virus to infect a more vulnerable population. Experts now believe many of the so-called “HAdV-B3” infections reported in the last two years were actually misdiagnosed cases of HAdV-B114.
Conclusions
This reemergent hybrid virus, HAdV-B114, highlights the need for more advanced viral surveillance techniques, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though initially mistaken for a common adenovirus, HAdV-B114's genetic makeup enables it to cause much more serious infections. It spreads easily within families, causes both eye and lung diseases, and may pose a significant threat to immunocompromised individuals and young children. Scientists now call for more accurate genetic testing and greater international awareness to prevent future outbreaks.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed Journal of Medical Virology
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jmv.70464
For the latest on the new HAdV-B114 strain, keep on logging to
Thailand Medical News.
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