Transcript Nipah Virus
Nipah Virus
The Next Plague?
Ramsha Kudia
MCB5505
Taxonomy
Family: Paramyxoviridae
Subfamily Paramyxovirinae
Genus Avulavirus
Newcastle disease virus
Genus Henipavirus
Hendravirus
Nipahvirus
Genus Morbillivirus
Measles virus
Rinderpest virus
Genus Respirovirus
Sendai virus
Human parainfluenza
viruses 1 and 3, as well
some of the viruses of the
common cold
Genus Rubulavirus
Mumps virus
Human parainfluenza
viruses 2 and 4
Subfamily Pneumovirinae
Bovine respiratory syncytial
virus
Human respiratory syncytial
virus
Murine pneumonia virus
Henipavirus
Only zoonotic paramyxoviruses and are highly pathogenic
Genome size 18.2 kb, about 15% larger than other family
members
Biosafety level 4 because of pathogenicity, high mortality,
and lack of treatment
The genus is able to infect a broad range of animal species,
which is uncommon among the family
High mutation rates
Virion Structure
Non-segmented, negative
sense, single stranded
RNA
Encapsulated
Polymorphic, but usually
spherical or filamentous
Helical nucleocapsid
Viral Genome
The genome contains 6 genes, which code for 9
proteins
M = matrix protein
organizes and maintains virion structure
Leader sequence at 3’ end and trailer at 5’ end
N = nucleocapsid gene
protects from nuclease digestion
F = fusion protein
Fusion requires a neutral pH
G = glycoprotein, attachment
bind to sialic acid on the cell surface and
facilitate cell entry
P = phosphoprotein
binds to the N and L proteins and forms part of
the RNA polymerase complex
the P gene utilizes multiple reading frames to
make different accessory proteins, which are
not essential for replication, but may aid in
survival
C protein regulates viral RNA synthesis and
may be a virulence factor
L = Large polymerase
catalytic subunit of RNA dependent RNA
polymerase
Replication and Transcription
Replication occurs in cytoplasm
The virus attaches to host surface receptors by G glycoprotein
Envelope fuses with plasma membrane and the
ribonucleocapsid is released into the cytoplasm
viral RNA dependent RNA polymerase binds to the
encapsidated genome at the leader region
The polymerase sequentially transcribes each genes by
recognizing start and stop signals flanking viral genes
mRNAs are capped and polyadenylated by the L protein
during synthesis
Replication starts when there is enough nucleoprotein to
encapsidate the new virion
Matrix proteins line the cytoplasmic side of the plasma
membrane
The ribonucleocapsid interacts with the matrix protein and
buds off, obtaining its envelope from the plasma membrane
History
The virus was first discovered in 1999 in Malaysia
There have been 12 outbreaks since then
Named after city
When the disease first appeared, people thought it was Japanese Encephalitis (JE)
Authorities spent 5 months vaccinating people against JE and killing mosquitoes, which was a waste of time
There were features that made it different from JE; for example, it infected adults more often then children
There was also a disease in pigs going around
Some believed it was related to Hendravirus
When the disease spread out of Ipoh, it was discovered the pigs were transmitting disease
After determining cause, 1,000,000 pigs were shot and buried, destroying half the country's pig market
Found that one of the original locations of the outbreak in pigs was near the forest where there were fruit bats
The farm was also surrounded by fruit trees, which offered food for bats
Pigs had been infected by bats, which caused a problem because pigs could be stopped from crossing borders, but bats could not
geographic distribution
of Nipah virus overlaps
with that of Pteropus
genus of bats
Animal Pathology
Most pigs suffered from respiratory illness, while neurological
symptoms were less common
Nipah outbreaks in pigs and other domestic animals (horses,
goats, sheep, cats and dogs) were first reported during the
initial Malaysian outbreak in 1999
Many pigs had no symptoms, but others developed acute
feverish illness, labored breathing, and neurological symptoms
such as trembling, twitching and muscle spasms
Generally, mortality was low except in young piglet
The incubation time for pigs 4-14 days
Pigs are infectious during incubation
Pigs spread disease by coughing
Natural Host
Predominately family Pteropodidae – fruit bats
10 genera and 23 species of bats in a large part of Asia and
Africa
aggregate with a density of more than 3,000 bats/m2, in
population of up to several million individual animals
long distance flyers, with some species travelling up to 640
km during seasonal migration
Migratory bats have been shown to exchange novel
viruses with non-migratory ones
Geographic distribution
of seropositive bats is
growing
Pathogenesis in Humans
Targets microvascular endothelial cells
At autopsy, microscopic evaluation revealed widespread
vasculitis, endothelial cell destruction and focal
perivascular necrosis in small vessels in the lung, heart, an
kidney with the most severe damage observed in the
vessels of the CNS
Microvasucular blood vessels of several organs exhibit
syncytia or multinucleated giant endothelial cells,
accompanied by vascular inflammation
Not a feature of other viral encephalides
Greatest viral load seen in the CNS
Symptoms
Incubation 4-18 days
The onset of symptoms ranged from 24 hours to 1 month
Symptomatic to nonsymptomatic ratio 3:1
Some symptoms similar to influenza
Fever
Muscle pain
Headache
Pneumonia and systemic infection in rare cases
Seizures, abnormal pupillary reflexes, absent doll's eye reflex, profound tachycardia, hypertension, tremor,
dysarthria
Reduced level of consciousness
Inflammation of brain
Disorientation
Coma
Encephalitis can be acute or late onset
Acute can result in relapse
Transmission
Bat-to-pig
Pig-to-many animals
From direct contact with pigs
Bat-to-human
Direct contact or by aerosols
Pig-to-human
Half-eaten fruit from bats
Humans eating fruit with bat saliva
Bat urine, feces, saliva
Human-to-human
Possibly through aerosol
Contamination with human excretions
Spread in healthcare settings
Diagnosis
serum neutralization
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay
immunofluorescence assay
virus isolation by cell culture
Epidemiology
There have been
outbreaks almost
every year since it
was discovered
Is a problem in
Bangladesh
Outbreaks in of the
Nipah Virus have
seasonal pattern in
South Asia
Limited geographical
distribution
Transmission in
Bangladesh also
showed human-tohuman transmission
Current Nipah Virus Outbreak
Bangladesh Bans Sale of Palm Sap After an Unusually Lethal Outbreak
By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.
Published: March 21, 2011
Bangladesh is suffering an outbreak of deadly Nipah virus, causing the government to adopt an unusual prevention tactic: a ban on the sale of fresh palm sap.
The virus, carried by bats, was identified only in 1999. It causes dangerous brain inflammation in humans and is infectious. The Bangladeshi outbreak is unusually
lethal, killing 35 of the 40 people known to have been infected.
The first known outbreak of Nipah virus was in Malaysia, where most victims raised or butchered pigs that were the source of infection. The pigs are believed to have
rooted beneath bat colonies in trees, eating food contaminated by droppings. But the Bangladesh outbreak happened without a swine vector.
Bangladeshis like drinking date palm sap, which is gathered “in a way similar to maple syrup collection,” said Dr. Jonathan H. Epstein, a veterinarian with the
EcoHealth Alliance, which is helping Bangladesh track the virus.
Gatherers called gachis climb high into the trees, shave the bark with machetes and hang clay pots on the trunks to collect the sap at night. Large fruit bats called
Indian flying foxes are attracted and lap up the running sap, sometimes fouling the pots with their saliva, urine or feces.
Many people in the tropics leave palm sap to ferment into wine — and fermentation might kill the virus. But most Bangladeshis are Muslim, and do not drink alcohol,
Dr. Epstein said.
The government health agency is also trying to persuade the gachis to put what he called “bamboo skirts” over the mouths of their collecting jars.
“The gachis like them,” he said. “They keep the stuff pure, so they can sell it for more.”
Prevention and Treatment
Pig farmers should quarantine suspected animals and avoid direct contact
The virus can easily be killed with bleach or detergents like sodium hypochorite
Fruit should be washed and peeled before consumption
Boil date palm oil
Avoid contact with infected humans as it is possible to be infected by aerosols
There is no vaccine or treatment for Nipah Virus
Treatment is mostly focused on managing fever and the neurological symptoms
Ribavarin is used to treat symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and convulsions
Vaccine is being developed
Recombinant sub-unit vaccine formulation protects against lethal Nipah virus in cats
Potential For Bioterrorism
Cause fear and panic
No effective treatment
Economic loss
Can spread through aerosols or food
References
Fong, I. W., and Ken Alibek. New and Evolving Infections of the 21st Century. New York, NY: Springer, 2007. 279-93.
Hsu, V. "Nipah and Hendra Viruses." Perspectives in Medical Virology 16 (2006): 179-99.
Knipe, David M. "Fields Virology by David M Knipe and Peter M Howley | Free EBooks Download - EBOOKEE!" Web.
Apr. 2011.
Strauss, James H., and Ellen G. Strauss. Viruses and Human Disease. San Diego: Academic, 2002. 147-55.
Tabor, Edward. Emerging Viruses in Human Populations. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2007. 179-94.
"ViralZone: Henipavirus." ExPASy Proteomics Server. Web. Apr. 2011.
<http://expasy.org/viralzone/all_by_species/85.html>.
"WHO | Nipah Virus (NiV) Infection." Web. Apr. 2011. <http://www.who.int/csr/disease/nipah/en/index.html>.
"WHO | Nipah Virus." Web. Apr. 2011. <http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs262/en/>.
Wolf, Mike C., Oscar A. Negrete, and Benhur Lee. "Pathobiology of Henipavirus Entry: Insights into Therapeutic
Strategies." Future Virology 2.3 (2007): 267-82.
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