Bat Virus PRV Emerges In Bangladesh, Should India Be Worried? | Image:X
A recent study has reported cases of human infection linked to a virus spread by bats in Bangladesh. This has raised new concerns about monitoring diseases spread from animals to humans in South Asia. Nipah virus (which is spread by fruit bats) is already a worrying public health risk in the region. However, researchers also identified another virus, teropine orthoregiovirus (PRV), in patients who showed severe Nipah-like symptoms but tested negative for Nipah infection.
According to AOL report, the study published in the journal ‘Emerging Infectious Diseases’ states that PRV was earlier ignored because its symptoms are similar to Nipah. Researchers identified it in archived throat swab samples from five patients who had recently drunk the raw sap of a palm tree, a known way for bat viruses to spread in the region.
Serious consequences possible for India and neighboring countries
Scientists say these results show that dangerous bat-borne viruses are infecting humans more frequently than previously thought, especially in areas where people live close to bats. This could have serious consequences for India and neighboring countries where such viruses are common, and highlights the need to strengthen disease surveillance and expand diagnostic testing beyond Nipah virus to detect and control emerging infections.
Scientists at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, along with their partners in Bangladesh, examined clinical samples from five patients in Bangladesh. Doctors initially suspected Nipah because patients showed similar symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, fatigue and neurological effects. However, the results of Nipah test came negative.
Using advanced genomic methods such as viral capture sequencing (VCS), researchers identified PRV genetic material in the samples. They also isolated and grew live viruses in lab cultures, confirming that the infections were active and not a fluke.
What is PRV?
PRV belongs to a group of viruses often carried by bats, and researchers have found it in most animals or linked it to only mild illness in humans in other parts of the world.
However, cases from Bangladesh show that the virus can also cause serious illness in people. It can cause respiratory and neurological symptoms, and health teams may miss it if they rely only on standard Nipah virus tests.
Scientists call this discovery very important, especially because Nipah virus remains a major public health concern after two confirmed cases were reported in India in December last year. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report, the mortality rate in Nipah infection is very high, ranging from 40 to 75 percent. People can catch this virus by coming in contact with fruit bats, eating contaminated food, or by spreading it directly from person to person. The detection of PRV adds another layer to this increased risk.
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