You have more in common with your computer than you might think. Medical and computer experts say findings from a recent study that show fundamental parallels between computer viruses and human viruses could help both sides combat the problem.

The year-long study undertaken by computer virus company McAfee and Dr Rod Daniels of the National Institute of Medical Research said that new understandings about both types of viruses could help save billions of pounds annually. It is estimated that in the UK more than 150 million work days are lost each year to flu and related illnesses at a cost of nearly £7bn. Similarly the global costs in lost productivity and clean up expense of computer viruses in 2001 was estimated at £8bn.

The study found some very similar patterns of infection - both type of viruses circumnavigate the globe from East to West following the sun. Both types of infection have similar structures, made up of a large number of basic building blocks pulled together in strings to produce a 'complex' organism. Also, almost identical structures are in place for combating the threat from both computer and medical viruses with nerve centres located in the same parts of the world using similar reporting structures.

The report says the most dangerous viruses are those that target the immune system - in the medical world this is a virus such as HIV; in the computing world it is a virus that targets the anti-virus software.In medicine, advisory groups use a common standard and recognised criteria to place viruses in groups.

These are accepted world-wide but there is no such equivalent in the computer world. Anti-virus companies currently issue different warnings regarding the level of threat, which McAfee said leads to confusion, but on the other hand the medical world can learn from anti-virus companies how better to process information and take instant measures to combat threats.