Evidence of Virus That Infects Both Plants and Humans

From rabies to bird flu to HIV, diseases passing from animals to humans is a well-known phenomenon. 

But a virus jumping from plants to humans? Never.

At least, that's what doctors thought until Didier Raoult of the University of the Mediterranean in Marseilles, France, discovered that the mild mottle virus found in peppers may be causing fever, aches, and itching in humans. If validated, this would mark the first time a plant virus has been found to cause problems in people.

...Not everyone is convinced, however. Robert Garry, a virologist at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, claims the virus lacks the biochemical key needed to gain entry into a cell, and thus couldn't possibly infect human tissue.

Read full at New Scientist via PopSci