Abstract
BackgroundHenipaviruses (Hendra and Nipah virus) are highly pathogenic members of the family Paramyxoviridae. Fruit-eating bats of the Pteropus genus have been suggested as their natural reservoir. Human Henipavirus infections have been reported in a region extending from Australia via Malaysia into Bangladesh, compatible with the geographic range of Pteropus. These bats do not occur in continental Africa, but a whole range of other fruit bats is encountered. One of the most abundant is Eidolon helvum, the African Straw-coloured fruit bat.Methodology/Principal FindingsFeces from E. helvum roosting in an urban setting in Kumasi/Ghana were tested for Henipavirus RNA. Sequences of three novel viruses in phylogenetic relationship to known Henipaviruses were detected. Virus RNA concentrations in feces were low.Conclusions/SignificanceThe finding of novel putative Henipaviruses outside Australia and Asia contributes a significant extension of the region of potential endemicity of one of the most pathogenic virus genera known in humans.
Highlights
The subfamily Paramyxovirinae in the family Paramyxoviridae comprises the five genera Respiro, Morbilli, Rubula, Avula, and Henipavirus, as well as a group of yet unclassified viruses [1]
Serologic evidence for Henipavirus infection in bats has been reported in a geographic range covering Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, and Madagascar [9,15,16,17,18,19,20]
Hendra virus was isolated from bats in Australia, and Nipah virus in Malaysia and Cambodia
Summary
The subfamily Paramyxovirinae in the family Paramyxoviridae comprises the five genera Respiro-, Morbilli-, Rubula-, Avula-, and Henipavirus, as well as a group of yet unclassified viruses [1]. The genus Henipavirus contains two of the most pathogenic viruses known in humans, Hendra- and Nipah virus, which were discovered only in 1994 and 1998, respectively [2,3,4,5] Both viruses cause severe encephalitis in humans, exemplified by the Nipah virus outbreaks in Malaysia, India and Bangladesh with case fatality rates ranging from 40–100% [6,7,8,9,10]. Human Henipavirus infections have been reported in a region extending from Australia via Malaysia into Bangladesh, compatible with the geographic range of Pteropus These bats do not occur in continental Africa, but a whole range of other fruit bats is encountered. One of the most abundant is Eidolon helvum, the African Straw-coloured fruit bat
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