A new US research claims that appendicitis may be caused by a flu-like virus. Appendicitis doesn't necessarily lead to a burst appendix if the organ isn't removed quickly, U. S. researchers say in a new study that challenges the conventional belief.

They hope that a link to viral infection could pose a reason and that’s why the condition appears to be more common in certain years and during the summer. However, no-one has been able to identify the mystery virus thought to be responsible so far.

Appendicitis engulfs about one in 10 people during their lifetime and is one of leading reasons for an immediate surgery. It occurs when the appendix, a worm-like cul-de-sac attached to the large intestine, becomes inflamed.

Study leader Dr Edward Livingston, from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre in Dallas, said, "The peaks and valleys of appendicitis cases generally matched up over time, suggesting it is possible that these disorders share common etiologic (causative) determinates pathogenesis mechanisms or environmental factors that similarly affect their incidence".

Doctors reveal their vagueness about the reason by which appendicitis is caused. It is generally assumed the inflammation is linked to a blockage of some kind, perhaps by a piece of fecal material.