A new blindness-causing virus discovered in seafood

Chinese biologists have identified a new virus, POH-VAU, in shrimp and fish that can be transmitted to humans and cause a rare eye disease, scientists write in an article in the scientific journal Nature Microbiology.

According to the study, the virus can enter the human body through raw seafood. More than 70% of patients affected by the virus were diagnosed with persistent ocular hypertension — a disease that causes severe inflammation in the eyes and high intraocular pressure, which in some cases leads to complete loss of vision, the biologists note.

Previously, scientists believed that viruses similar to POH-VAU could not affect human tissues and were dangerous only to marine animals. This discovery once again underscores that the boundary between species is blurred, calling into question conclusions about the safety of a number of viruses for humans, the article states.