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A novel zoonotic virus with the potential to infect the liver and kidneys, known as Langya Henipavirus (LayV), has been discovered in China. The new Langya Henipavirus has so far infected 35 patients, according to a paper titled “A Zoonotic Henipavirus in Febrile Patients in China” that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). In China’s Shandong and Henan provinces, 35 patients were found to have an acute infection of the Langya Henipavirus, and 26 of them alone had the Langya virus and no other infections.
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The inception of Langya Henipavirus
- Chuang Jen-Hsiang, the deputy director-general of Taiwan’s CDC, claimed that 5% of the tested dogs and 2% of the tested goats were positive in a serological survey of domestic animals. The Langya Henipavirus was detected in 27% of the test subjects who were shrews, according to the results of tests on 25 different wild animal species.
- This suggests that the shrew, a small insectivorous mammal that resembles a mouse, may act as a natural reservoir for the virus. This shows that wild shrews may have transmitted the Langya Henipavirus to humans.
- To discover this new virus, the researchers turned to a cutting-edge method known as metagenomic analysis. Researchers sequence every genetic component before discarding the “known” sequences (such as human DNA) in order to seek for “unknown” sequences that could be a new virus.
- This demonstrates that wild shrews may have exposed humans to the Langya Henipavirus. The researchers used a cutting-edge technique called metagenomic analysis to find this new virus.
- Prior to removing “known” sequences (such as human DNA), researchers sequence every genetic component to look for “unknown” sequences that could be a new virus.
Symptoms of Langya Henipavirus
These 26 patients were diagnosed with fever (present in 100% of cases), fatigue (54%), cough (50%), anorexia (50%), myalgia (46%), nausea (38%), headache (35%), and vomiting (35%), as well as abnormalities in thrombocytopenia (35%), leukopenia (54%), and impaired liver (35%) and kidney function (8%).
Modes of Spread of the Langya Henipavirus
- Researchers say they have not yet determined if the Langya Henipavirus may spread among humans, despite the fact that there has not yet been any evidence of significant spatial or temporal clustering of the virus.
- The 35 patients in China did not have a common exposure history or have close relationships with one another, and contact tracing revealed no viral transmission among close relationships and family, indicating that human infections may be random, according to the researchers.
- Although the sample size was too small to evaluate the status of LayV human-to-human transmission, contact tracing of 9 patients with 15 close-contact family members revealed no close-contact LayV transmission.
The severity of the Langya Henipavirus
- There is no need for concern because the Langya Henipavirus cases to date have not been fatal or very serious, according to Wang Linfa, a professor in the Duke-NUS Medical School Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases. Although many viruses seen in nature have unexpected effects when they infect humans, Wang said this is still causing for concern.
- According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), Henipaviruses are classified as biosafety Level 4 viruses and can cause severe disease in both animals and people. Case fatality rates range from 40 to 75 per cent, significantly higher than the coronavirus rate.
Treatment of Langya Henipavirus
The sole available treatment for Henipavirus is supportive care to manage problems because there is currently neither vaccination nor a cure.
Roots of Langya Henipavirus
- This novel Langya Henipavirus appears to be distantly related to the Nipah virus and the Hendra virus, two other viruses that are significant in humans. This group of viruses served as the inspiration for the fictional MEV-1 virus in the Contagion film.
- Initially discovered in Queensland in 1994, the Hendra virus killed trainer Vic Rail and 14 horses there. The Nipah virus is more prevalent worldwide, and Bangladesh is often where outbreaks occur. Various infections can range in severity from encephalitis, which is quite mild, to AIDS (inflammation of the brain).
