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New Bat Virus Found in Bangladesh
4 Feb
Summary
- A new bat-borne virus, PRV, caused severe illness in five patients.
- Patients consumed raw date-palm sap, a known risk for bat-borne viruses.
- This finding expands known risks beyond the Nipah virus.
A mysterious illness affecting five individuals in Bangladesh between December 2022 and March 2023 has been identified as Pteropine orthoreovirus (PRV), a bat-borne virus. These patients experienced severe fever, vomiting, headaches, and neurological issues, with one case proving fatal in 2024. All affected individuals had consumed raw date-palm sap, a substance known to be attractive to bats and a potential transmission route for viruses like Nipah.
While PRV infections in other regions have typically been mild, the cases in Bangladesh presented with severe respiratory and neurological symptoms. Scientists suspect genetic reassortment may have increased the virus's virulence. This finding expands the known spectrum of diseases associated with raw date palm sap consumption beyond Nipah virus and emphasizes the critical need for comprehensive surveillance of bat-borne viruses.
Researchers found genetically similar PRVs in bats near the Padma River basin, suggesting a local spillover event. The study, published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, calls for enhanced medical surveillance and diagnostic testing for PRV and other bat-borne viruses in areas where raw date palm sap is consumed.
