Infectobesity
Although some experts claim that obesity spreads through social networks like a virus, a common human virus might actually contribute to the rising tide of obese populations.
Adenovirus-36 (Ad-36) — one strain in a family of about fifty adenoviruses that are responsible for colds, respiratory infections, and eye infections — was first linked to weight gain when Nikhil Dhurandhar, now a professor at Louisiana State University, noticed that chickens infected with Ad-36 became plump instead of wasting away with disease. Taking it to the lab, he has shown that when chickens and mice are infected with Ad-36, they become very fat compared with ……