Discovery of Pteropine orthoreovirus shows risks go beyond Nipah
TheDigger Intelligence Unit
In rural Bangladesh, Abdul Karim fell ill after drinking fresh date-palm sap, a common seasonal tradition. Initially suspected to have Nipah virus, tests came back negative, leaving doctors and family puzzled.
Karim’s case and four others have revealed a new and urgent threat: Pteropine orthoreovirus (PRV), aKarim’s case and four others have revealed a newly detected urgent threat: Pteropine orthoreovirus (PRV), a virus carried by bats that has only now been linked to severe human illness in Bangladesh.
Researchers say PRV is now infecting people in Bangladesh and can cause serious health problems. Genetic tests and lab cultures confirmed PRV in patient samples. This is the first time the virus has been linked to severe illness in Bangladesh, raising immediate public health concerns. Known as a main way Nipah spreads, these new findings show the risks may be even greater.
“Our findings urgently show that the risk of disease associated with raw date palm sap consumption extends well beyond Nipah virus,” said Nischay Mishra, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and senior author of the study. “It underscores the critical importance of broad-spectrum surveillance programs to rapidly identify and mitigate growing public health risks from emerging bat-borne viruses.”
Illnesses Resembling Nipah, But With a Different Cause
Between December 2022 and March 2023, the five patients were hospitalised with symptoms like fever and neurological problems. Initial tests ruled out Nipah. Researchers used a new sequencing method to detect multiple viruses simultaneously.
The analysis found PRV genetic material in stored throat swabs, and in three cases, scientists were able to grow the virus in the lab. The patients were found through a Nipah surveillance program run by Bangladesh’s Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research (icddr,b), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“This presents a new and urgent addition to zoonotic spillover, causing respiratory and neurological complications following consumption of raw date palm sap,” said Tahmina Shirin, PhD, Director of IEDCR and the National Influenza Centre in Bangladesh.
New Technology Helps Find Overlooked Threats
The sequencing method used is sensitive and helps find nearly complete viral genomes. It was key in discovering PRV.
Researchers warn that while PRV infections iResearchers warn that while PRV infections in nearby countries have usually been mild, the sudden emergence of severe cases in Bangladesh is highly alarming.
This suggests that undiagnosed infections could be spreading far more quickly and dangerously than previously thought, adding urgency to calls for action. Several studies supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture quickly found genetically similar PRV strains in bats caught near the Padma River Basin, close to where the human cases happened. This provides important, timely evidence of bat-to-human transmission.
“We are now working to understand the spillover mechanisms from bats to humans and domestic animals, as well as the broader ecology of emerging bat-borne viruses in communities along the Padma River Basin,” said Ariful Islam, bat-borne disease ecologist at Charles Sturt University, Australia, and co-author of the study.
An Increasing List of Bat-Borne Threats
Bats naturally carry many dangerous viruses that can rapidly spread to humans, such as rabies, Nipah, Hendra, Marburg, and SARS-CoV-1. The discovery of PRV further heightens the urgent need for vigilant monitoring and swift public health response. The research was led by scientists from IEDCR, Columbia University, icddr,b, CDC, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.