The executive committee of the International Committee of Taxonomy of Viruses officially announced a new genus, Orthomyxovirdae, with a single species, influenza D virus, because of its distinctness from other influenza types—A, B and C. This is the first influenza virus identified in cattle, explained Professor Feng Li, South Dakota State University.
Source: Bovine Veterinarian, September 1, 2016.
Ultimately, the goal is to determine whether influenza D, which has 50 percent similarity to human influenza C, can cause problems in humans, according to Kaushik. However, he noted, ‘the virus has not been shown to be pathogenic in humans. No one should be afraid of this.’