The authors of a recent review in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery < link > say, “the rate at which novel [or previously unknown] viruses are being discovered now exceeds our understanding of their clinical relevance.”
(The researchers) also raised important questions because the potential pathogenic role of novel viruses can be difficult to determine.
Source: AAHA NEWStat, January 29, 2019. Link. “Laboratory results must be viewed in the context of what makes clinical sense. My preference is to have clinicians and support staff embedded in the research team, with everyone engaged in a common goal,” said Julia Beatty, BVetMed, PhD, FANZCVS, RCVS.
The difficulty in assigning relevance to a virus comes when infection is not reliably followed by disease. We know that individuals are infected with a diverse population of viruses. These viruses can act as pathogens, symbionts, or just be hanging out as passengers and these roles can change.” – Julia Beatty, BVetMed