China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Nipah encephalitis, a fatal encephalitis with bats as reservoir
Published in Avindra Nath, Joseph R. Berger, Clinical Neurovirology, 2020
Nipah virus has been found to be widely distributed in at least 10 genera and 23 species of bats in large part of Asia and Africa [51]. Therefore, clinicians should be open to emergence of Nipah virus infection, even though the infection has not been known to be endemic. The clinical features that may indicate possible Henipavirus infection are: (1) History of illness in animals, such as pigs or horses, that may be exposed to Pteropus or other fruit bats; (2) clustering of cases in the same household or geographic area that may suggest an outbreak; (3) clustering of cases that may suggest zoonosis or person-to-person spread of infection; e.g., illness involving animal workers, healthcare workers, or family members; (4) Acute febrile illness involving neurologic or respiratory systems [52].
Communicable diseases
Published in Liam J. Donaldson, Paul D. Rutter, Donaldsons' Essential Public Health, 2017
Liam J. Donaldson, Paul D. Rutter
Hendra virus and Nipah virus are members of a relatively new genus, Henipavirus; pulmonary symptoms characterize the former and encephalitis the latter. The natural reservoir for both appears to be fruit bats. Infection can be by direct contact with bat excreta or via infected animals: horses for Hendra virus (which has occurred only in Australia so far) and pigs for Nipah virus (which was first seen in Malaysia but has now emerged in Bangladesh and India).
Henipaviruses
Published in Sunit K. Singh, Human Respiratory Viral Infections, 2014
Olivier Escaffre, Viktoriya Borisevich, Barry Rockx
In the case of the emerging zoonotic HeV and NiV, they can cause both severe respiratory distress and acute encephalitis.2 While the exact route of transmission of Henipavirus (HNV) in humans is not known, current knowledge suggests that infection can be efficiently initiated via respiratory exposure to aerosol and fomites. The limited data on histopathological changes in fatal human cases of HeV and NiV and data from experimental animal models shows that the respiratory epithelium is an early target of HNV infection, while endothelial cells are an important target during the terminal stage of infection.
Emerging Human Coronavirus Infections (SARS, MERS, and COVID-19): Where They Are Leading Us
Published in International Reviews of Immunology, 2021
The animal origin of CoVs was hypothesized soon after the emergence of SARS-CoV infection in humans in China in November 2002 and the screening of small animals in the live-animal market of Guangdong district of the China identified the presence of SARS-CoV RNA in the masked palm civets (Paguma larvata) and a raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) (Figure 1) [21–23]. Furthermore, SARS-CoV was reported in the masked palm civets served in the restaurant of Guangzhou of China and 2 out of 4 patients were working as waitresses there [24]. Even animal traders from Guangzhou and Guangdong had showed the presence of IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV in the circulation upon serological testing [25]. The antibodies against SARS-CoV in vegetable traders and control groups were absent. However, these animals in their wild environment and farms having no exposure to the live-animal market animals did not show the evidence of presence of SARS-CoV (Figure 1) [26]. On the other hand, bats are known as potential reservoirs for more than 200 viruses (most of them are RNA viruses, including (Henipaviruses (Hendra and Nipah virus), Ebola, and Marburg virus of Filoviridae family, Influenza A virus of Orthomyxoviridae family, Hantavirus of Bunyaviridae family, Lyssavirus (includes Rabies Virus), and CoVs also) responsible to cause infections in humans [27,28].
A review of mechanistic models of viral dynamics in bat reservoirs for zoonotic disease
Published in Pathogens and Global Health, 2020
Anecia D. Gentles, Sarah Guth, Carly Rozins, Cara E. Brook
Following lyssaviruses, understanding of henipavirus dynamics in bat reservoirs shows the most promise to date – in part a reflection of the feasibility of noninvasive viral surveillance through under-roost urine collection in these systems [82]. Our analysis identified only five studies focused on bat-henipaviruses, but three of these five studies presented mechanistic models fitted to field-derived data [25,27,71]. All three studies reported that waning antibodies post-seroconversion contributes to observed henipavirus dynamics, consistent with findings for bat filoviruses. Collectively, these studies also suggested a possible role for recrudescent infection or loss of immunity and reinfection in recovering henipavirus persistence. Broadly, data-fitted henipavirus models assumed no elevated mortality in infectious individuals; however, [25,suggested this as a possible mechanism for observed declines in seroprevalence in older bats, as also posited for filoviruses. Generalizable trends for bat henipaviruses remain somewhat muddled largely due to the idiosyncratic nature of the datasets modeled – including one purely cross-sectional study [27], one eighteen-month time series [25], and one time series derived from a captive colony [71]. Notably, no existing study has yet to fit a compartmental transmission model to the Australian bat reservoirs for Hendra virus, despite claims that this system is a model system for understanding bat virus spillover [83].
Post-exposure prophylactic vaccine candidates for the treatment of human Risk Group 4 pathogen infections
Published in Expert Review of Vaccines, 2020
James Logue, Ian Crozier, Peter B Jahrling, Jens H Kuhn
Nipah virus (NiV; Paramyxoviridae: Henipavirus), is responsible for encephalitis outbreaks in Southern and Southeast Asia (in particular, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and India) that have been increasing in regularity and severity. After an incubation period generally ranging from a few days to-14 days, human disease most often presents with fever, headache, and other nonspecific symptoms. Patients may present with respiratory symptoms and signs, but most prominently they will rapidly progress to encephalitis and coma within 5 to 7 days. Disease sequelae have been reported, including relapsing encephalitis developing months or years following recovery [117]. Transmission of NiV to humans has been linked to domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus Erxleben, 1777) that have come into contact with NiV natural reservoir hosts (pteropodid bats) [118]. As potential routes of infection are well documented for NiV, PEP vaccination may have the potential to minimize the spread of NiV among humans, especially if implemented following noticeable disease in domestic pigs. Though no currently licensed vaccine for the prevention of NiV infection is available, multiple candidate vaccines have been developed, including rVSIV-vectored and rabies virus-vectored vaccines, which have variable efficacy in animal studies if administered prior to infection [119,120]. These candidate vaccines should be evaluated for PEP efficacy as soon as possible. Likewise, similar candidate PEP vaccines ought to be developed for NiV’s closest relative, Hendra virus, which, thus far, has caused a handful of lethal encephalitis cases [121].