Scientists Find New Virus from Bats Similar to Nipah Infecting Humans in Bangladesh

Illustration of a bat (Photo: Freepik/byrdyak)

JAKARTA - A new virus that comes from bats and has symptoms similar to the Nipah virus has been found to infect humans in Bangladesh. This virus is suspected to be potentially more dangerous than previously known.

Between December 2022 and March 2023, five patients were hospitalized in Bangladesh with severe symptoms such as fever, vomiting, headache, fatigue, excessive saliva production, and neurological disorders. Because the symptoms are similar to Nipah infection, doctors immediately suspected the virus.

Moreover, the five are known to consume raw date palm nectar, a sweet liquid that bats also often drink, an animal that is the main source of transmission of the Nipah virus in the country. However, the test results showed that the five were negative for Nipah.

The patients had improved and were sent home within weeks. But the problem was not over. Three people experienced prolonged fatigue, confusion, and difficulty breathing and walking. One patient even died in 2024 after his health continued to decline accompanied by unexplained neurological disorders.

Recent research reveals the real cause, Pteropine orthoreovirus (PRV), another virus also carried by bats. So far PRV has been found in humans in several Southeast Asian countries, but generally only causes mild respiratory disorders.

The case in Bangladesh is different. In a report published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, scientists said all patients experienced severe respiratory symptoms and neurological disorders. This is much heavier than the PRV cases that have been reported in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

Researchers suspect the virus has undergone genetic rearrangement (called reassortment) that could make it more transmissible or more virulent.

This finding adds to the list of animal viruses (zoonosis) that are now known to be able to infect humans in Bangladesh. This means that diseases with symptoms similar to Nipah should no longer be directly assumed to be Nipah alone.

"Raw date palm juice is not only at risk of carrying the Nipah virus, but also other viruses such as PRV," said Nischay Mishra, one of the study's authors, quoted from The Independent website.

He stressed the importance of a broader disease surveillance system to detect new viruses from bats before they spread further.

The research team also found PRV viruses that are genetically similar to bats captured around the location where the patients live, near the Padma River flow area. This strengthens the suspicion that transmission occurs from bats to humans.

Now scientists are studying how the virus can 'jump' from bats to humans and livestock, as well as how it spreads in the communities around the Padma River.

In areas that still consume raw date palm juice, researchers ask that medical examinations for respiratory diseases also include tests for PRV, Nipah, and other viruses from bats. This step is important so that similar cases are not misdiagnosed and can be handled faster.

This discovery is a reminder that human interaction with wildlife, even through food, can pave the way for the emergence of new diseases that are not well known.