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Deadly Equine Virus Hendra Spreads to Humans
July 23, 2008 2:10 PM
by
Josh Katz
The virus has spread from horses to humans and new symptoms have emerged, leading experts to question whether a human-to-human strain could appear next.
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At least seven horses have contracted the potentially fatal Hendra virus, and five have died in the biggest outbreak of the virus since it was pinpointed in 1994.
Two veterinary staff members came down with the illness about a month ago and are still in the hospital. Fifty other people who may have been exposed to the infected horses will be tested a second time. More horses will also undergo testing.
Epidemiologist Hume Field of the Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases in Brisbane said, “The different clinical presentations, and some very preliminary [DNA] sequencing data, suggest that the Hendra virus may be somewhat different in this outbreak,” indicating that there may be new strains.
The fruit bat is usually the carrier of the disease, but scientists are still unsure how the virus is transferred to horses and why there are only outbreaks in certain years.
On an Australian ABC radio program, Dr. James Gilkerson commented on the recent outbreak and said, “I think that veterinary research in Australia in general is woefully underfunded.”
The disease is highly lethal in both horses and humans. In humans, it may come with flu-like symptoms, potentially leading to pneumonia. Symptoms may include “headache, high fever, and drowsiness, which can progress to convulsions or coma,” according to New Scientist magazine.
The major fear is that the virus, identified only in Australia thus far, may mutate, allowing it to spread from human to human.
Two veterinary staff members came down with the illness about a month ago and are still in the hospital. Fifty other people who may have been exposed to the infected horses will be tested a second time. More horses will also undergo testing.
Epidemiologist Hume Field of the Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases in Brisbane said, “The different clinical presentations, and some very preliminary [DNA] sequencing data, suggest that the Hendra virus may be somewhat different in this outbreak,” indicating that there may be new strains.
The fruit bat is usually the carrier of the disease, but scientists are still unsure how the virus is transferred to horses and why there are only outbreaks in certain years.
On an Australian ABC radio program, Dr. James Gilkerson commented on the recent outbreak and said, “I think that veterinary research in Australia in general is woefully underfunded.”
The disease is highly lethal in both horses and humans. In humans, it may come with flu-like symptoms, potentially leading to pneumonia. Symptoms may include “headache, high fever, and drowsiness, which can progress to convulsions or coma,” according to New Scientist magazine.
The major fear is that the virus, identified only in Australia thus far, may mutate, allowing it to spread from human to human.
Headline Link: Outbreak of Hendra virus in Australia
According to New Scientist magazine, “Now a change in its symptoms in Queensland horses is raising fears that new strains may have emerged—and even that a strain capable of spreading from human-to-human could appear.”
Source: New Scientist
The Sydney Morning Herald describes how 50 people must wait until Friday to discover the results of their tests. Clinic owner Dr. David Lovell discussed the gravity of the situation and said, “Anything that could potentially attack the nervous system makes it doubly difficult to handle.”
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
Reactions: ‘New Hendra virus cases highlight “woeful” lack of research’
On July 18, an ABC radio program interviewed experts on the recent Hendra virus cases. One expert said, “I think that veterinary research in Australia in general is woefully underfunded, particularly in the horse area. Hendra is particularly important because it's one of the few diseases of horses that are going to infect people, right, and have caused deaths in the past.”
Source: ABC Online (Australia)
Reference: The Hendra virus
The Hendra virus earned its name from an outbreak in Hendra, Australia, in 1994. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Two of the three individuals known to be infected had a respiratory illness with severe flu-like signs and symptoms.”
Source: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Related Topics: Studying animal diseases
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a 1,005-page study on June 20 on the best location for a high-security laboratory on virulent animal diseases. The government indicated that an outbreak of contagious animal illness would be far more damaging to the U.S. economy if the laboratory were located at one of the potential mainland U.S. locations than at the existing laboratory on Plum Island, N.Y.
Source: WIBW (Kansas)
Horizon Press provides information from one of its books, “Animal Viruses: Molecular Biology.” Read excerpts from the book describing diseases that emerge in animals, such as foot-and-mouth disease, Hendra and avian influenza (bird flu). The introduction focuses on the transmission of the SARS virus from animal to human and illustrates the importance of studying animal viruses.
Source: Horizon Press
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