Alert in China of a new virus infecting humans: should we be concerned?

August 4 magazine New England Journal of Medicine published a study in which he warned of the discovery in the Chinese provinces of Henan and Shandong of at least 35 people infected with a new type of henipavirus. It is bad news.

Among the many new infectious viruses, the genus Genipavirusbelonging to a family paramyxovirusesis of particular concern due to high human mortality from some members of this genus, such as the Hendra (HeV) and Nipah (NiV) viruses.

Microbiologists on the alert

The recent discovery of numerous henipaviruses in bats and wild rodents, including Cedar (CedV), Kumasi (KuV), and Mojiang (MojV) viruses, and evidence that they can infect the human population, have further heightened concerns about its diversity and zoonotic distribution. . , pathogenic and pandemic potential.

Since 2012, at least 20 divergent genipavirus clades have been identified in various viral analyzes by many international research groups. This situation shows that the universe of this type of microorganisms is still completely unknown to us. Again, this is bad news.

Wide range of symptoms

Some genipaviruses are animal-borne zoonotic pathogens that cause severe acute respiratory illness and neurological disease in humans. The new genipavirus has been named Genipavirus Langia (LayV), phylogenetically related to Mojiang virus, was discovered during sentinel surveillance of febrile patients with a recent history of animal contact in eastern China.

The symptoms it causes include fever, fatigue, cough, anorexia, myalgia, nausea, vomiting, leukopenia (low white blood cells), thrombocytopenia (low platelets), and impaired liver and kidney function.

Shrew, suspect number one

The possibility that it is a virus of zoonotic origin prompted an analysis of 25 species of small wild animals. RNA Genipavirus Langia predominantly found in shrews (27%). This discovery suggests that the shrew may be the natural reservoir of the virus. By evolutionary convergence, this animal resembles a small mouse with an elongated snout, but in fact it is not a rodent.

In 2021, two new henipaviruses isolated from shrews of this genus were discovered in South Korea. crocidura. Shrews are one of the largest and most numerous groups of mammals in the world, and species of the genus crocidura They are natural reservoirs that carry pathogens that are harmful to humans. They are widely distributed in habitats such as the countryside, agricultural fields and forests.

In fact, several cases of patients with Borna disease virus 1 encephalitis transmitted by shrews have recently been identified in Germany. In addition, they contain other zoonotic pathogens, including arenaviruses, coronaviruses, hantaviruses, rotaviruses, and hepadnaviruses.

Is it transmitted between people?

In the current analysis, contact tracing of 9 patients with 15 close family members did not reveal transmission. Genipavirus Langia with close contact. However, the sample size of the study is too small to determine whether the virus can be transmitted from person to person.

Of course finding Genipavirus Langiaand its association with multiple symptomatic disease in humans warrants further study and follow-up of this new virus.

In addition, metagenomic research and ongoing surveillance of potential novel human pathogenic viruses in small mammals provide clues for the development of prevention and mitigation strategies for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.

Raul Rivas Gonzalez, professor of microbiology, University of Salamanca

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original.

OUR PODCASTS

Living space

What measures have been taken since the first cases of monkeypox appeared?

Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a disease caused by viruses transmitted from animals to humans) that causes symptoms similar to those seen in people with smallpox in the past, although less severe. With the eradication of smallpox in 1980 and subsequent cessation of smallpox vaccination, monkeypox became the most important orthopoxvirus for public health, according to the World Health Organization. This morning, Dr. Elmer Huerta explains to us what has been done to control the spread of monkeypox since its inception.