Heniparivus

Background

• Genus of enveloped, negative-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses within the family Paramyxoviridae
• Includes two viruses that are important to public health, both of which are BSL-4 zoonotic pathogens:
  • Nipah virus (Henipavirus nipahense)
  • Hendra virus (Henipavirus hendraense)
• Other viruses in the genus include Angavokely virus (Henipavirus angavokelyense), Cedar virus (Henipavirus cedarense), Ghana virus (Henipavirus ghanaense), none of which are known to cause disease in humans

Epidemiology

• The known reservoir for both species of importance to humans is Pteropus species bats
  • Pigs are also competent vectors of Nipah virus
• Nipah virus has two strains
  • Strain Bangladesh is present mostly in Bangladesh and India
  • Strain Malaysia is present in Malaysia and Singapore
• Hendra virus is present in Australia along the northeastern shore

Clinical Manifestations

• Presentation of Nipah and Hendra virus infection is similar

Hendra Virus

• Incubation period of 7 to 16 days
• Rapidly-progressive illness involving CNS and respiratory tract
  • Meningitis or encephalitis (fever, headache, altered consciousness), with seizures, followed by coma and death
  • Respiratory failure from ARDS or pneumonitis, with multiorgan failure and arterial thrombosis
• High case fatality rates around 60%

Further Reading

• Henipaviruses: epidemiology, ecology, disease, and the development of vaccines and therapeutics. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2024;38:e00128-23. doi: https://doi.org/10.1128/cmr.00128-23