ABSTRACT
We retrieved Nipah virus (NiV) sequences from 4 human and 3 fruit bat (Pteropus medius) samples from a 2018 outbreak in Kerala, India. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that NiV from humans was 96.15% similar to a Bangladesh strain but 99.7%-100% similar to virus from Pteropus spp. bats, indicating bats were the source of the outbreak.
Subject(s)
Chiroptera/virology , Disease Outbreaks , Henipavirus Infections/epidemiology , Henipavirus Infections/virology , Nipah Virus/classification , Nipah Virus/genetics , Animals , Cells, Cultured , Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral , Henipavirus Infections/history , Henipavirus Infections/transmission , History, 21st Century , Humans , India/epidemiology , Mutation , Public Health SurveillanceABSTRACT
Nipah virus, a paramyxovirus related to Hendra virus, first emerged in Malaysia in 1998. Clinical presentation ranges from asymptomatic infection to fatal encephalitis. Malaysia has had no more cases since 1999, but outbreaks continue to occur in Bangladesh and India. In the Malaysia-Singapore outbreak, transmission occurred primarily through contact with pigs, whereas in Bangladesh and India, it is associated with ingestion of contaminated date palm sap and human-to-human transmission. Bats are the main reservoir for this virus, which can cause disease in humans and animals. There are currently no effective therapeutics, and supportive care and prevention are the mainstays of management.
Subject(s)
Disease Reservoirs/virology , Henipavirus Infections/epidemiology , Henipavirus Infections/transmission , Abattoirs , Animals , Bangladesh/epidemiology , Chiroptera/virology , Disease Outbreaks , Encephalitis/epidemiology , Encephalitis/virology , Henipavirus Infections/history , History, 20th Century , History, 21st Century , Humans , India/epidemiology , Malaysia/epidemiology , Nipah Virus/genetics , Phoeniceae/virology , Singapore/epidemiology , Swine/virologyABSTRACT
During 2014, henipavirus infection caused severe illness among humans and horses in southern Philippines; fatality rates among humans were high. Horse-to-human and human-to-human transmission occurred. The most likely source of horse infection was fruit bats. Ongoing surveillance is needed for rapid diagnosis, risk factor investigation, control measure implementation, and further virus characterization.
Subject(s)
Disease Outbreaks , Henipavirus Infections/epidemiology , Henipavirus/classification , Adolescent , Adult , Animal Diseases/epidemiology , Animal Diseases/virology , Animals , Base Sequence , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Henipavirus/genetics , Henipavirus Infections/diagnosis , Henipavirus Infections/history , History, 21st Century , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Molecular Sequence Data , Molecular Typing , Philippines/epidemiology , Phylogeny , Population Surveillance , Sequence Alignment , Serotyping , Viral Proteins/chemistry , Viral Proteins/genetics , Young AdultABSTRACT
Although some modern scholars believe that Homer had at least a basic medical education, given that a plethora of medical terms may be found in his poems, in the case of the pestilence that killed the Achaeans (one of the Hellenic peoples believed to have inhabited the Peloponnese) at Troy, his reference was simply informative. No symptoms were mentioned and the only thing known was that mules and dogs were the first to die. While Delphic Apollo was usually on the side of Peloponnesians, during the Trojan War Apollo Smintheus (the Mouse God) sided with the Trojans. Apollo was invoked as Smintheus by his priest Chryses two times and on both occasions a pestilence ensued. In our paper we try to clarify whether this pestilence, as we believe, was caused by a member of the Alphavirus genus, which can inflict a serious epidemic both on human and animal species, especially in equines.
