New Bat-Borne Pteropine Orthoreovirus Discovered in Bangladesh

Scientists have identified a new bat-borne virus, Pteropine orthoreovirus (PRV), in Bangladesh, which was initially misdiagnosed as Nipah virus. Five patients hospitalized between December 2022 and March 2023 with severe respiratory and neurological symptoms tested negative for Nipah virus but positive for PRV. All infected individuals had consumed raw date-palm sap, a known transmission route for bat-related infections. Researchers from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, in collaboration with the Bangladesh===Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), Icddr,b (icddr,b), and the U.S. United States===Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), made this discovery using advanced genetic sequencing. The findings, published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, suggest that PRV should be considered in the differential diagnosis of Nipah-like illnesses and underscore the need for broader surveillance programs for emerging bat-borne viruses. One patient later died due to deteriorating health and unexplained neurological ailments, indicating the potential severity of PRV infections, which have been milder in other countries.