Scientists detected another potential zoonotic spillover nearly three years into the coronavirus pandemic, though evidence suggests very low fatality rates.
Among the 35 patients, 26 were found to be infected only with the Langya virus. Two are considered highly virulent and are associated with high case-fatality ratios, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But none of the Langya patients died, the study stated. Over a roughly two-year period, 34 other people were found to have been infected in Shandong and neighboring Henan, with the vast majority being farmers.
Chinese scientists say a new 'LayV' virus that has sickened dozens likely emerged in shrews.
“But it is yet another reminder of the looming threat caused by the many pathogens circulating in populations of wild and domestic animals that have the potential to infect humans.” But the scientists said the sample size of patients is too small to completely rule out human-to-human transmission. The scientists believe that the virus likely emerged in shrews, small mammals, who then passed it on to humans.
There have been 35 cases of Langya virus across two provinces in China and it is unclear whether it is treatable.
"A serosurvey of domestic animals detected seropositivity in goats (3 of 168 [2 percent]) and dogs (4 of 79 [5 percent])," the letter said. "Among 25 species of wild small animals surveyed, LayV RNA was predominantly detected in shrews (71 of 262 [27 percent]), a finding that suggests that the shrew may be a natural reservoir of LayV." It said that of the 26 patients who were infected with Langya alone, had a fever, 54 percent were experiencing fatigue, 50 percent had a cough, 46 percent had muscle aches and pain, 38 percent had nausea, and 35 percent had a headache. The Nipah virus is zoonotic, having evolved in fruit bats. This new virus is a close relative of a previously reported, extremely deadly, Nipah virus. Half of the patients had anorexia, while 35 percent developed thrombocytopenia—a condition where the platelet count in the blood drops too low.
Less than three years after the outbreak of COVID-19 started in China, the threat of the new animal-borne LayV virus has been identified.
According to the Chinese scientists, contact tracing of 9 patients with 15 close-contact family members revealed no transmission of the virus. But as none of the patients in China had close contact with each other, experts believe that the transmission of the virus from animal to human is still sporadic. The most common symptom of the Langya virus appears to be a fever (experienced by all patients), but those infected with the virus also reported fatigue (54 per cent of patients), loss of appetite (50 per cent), muscle pain (46 per cent), cough (50 per cent), nausea (38 per cent), headache and vomiting (35 per cent) after contracting the virus.
Since the mode of transmission is not ascertained yet, usual hygiene practices with food, animals and with individuals with fever is all that we can do ...
📣 The above article is for information purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The animals that are known to be responsible for animal to human transmission are shrew (a rat like mammal), goats and dogs,” he said. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, noted that Langya was identified in a throat swab sample from one patient by means of metagenomic analysis and subsequent virus isolation. It further noted that among the 35 infected patients, 26 were infected with LayV only (no other pathogens were present). According to a report published in The Taipei Times, Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control has noted although 35 people were infected, no one has died or suffered a serious illness. According to reports from Chinese media state, a new zoonotic virus called ‘ Langya’ has been discovered in the country that has already affected 35 people.
The novel Langya Virus (LayV) outbreak in China comes less than three years of the Coronavirus outbreak and scientists say that this, too, ...
A report by Hindustan Times states that a study led by Chinese researchers revealed that the most common symptom of the virus is fever. Besides, of the 35 people identified as having contracted the virus, nine were asymptomatic. Nipah also spreads through respiratory droplets like Covid-19 but is far more dangerous as it kills up to three-quarters of humans, states a report by PTI. Scientists have reportedly found the LayV viral RNA in over 200 shrews they have tested. Hence, it is believed that shrews are the natural reservoir of the virus. A new virus outbreak in China is once more raising concerns about global health.
The distinct Henipavirus named Langya transmits from animals to humans, so it is not as contagious as coronavirus. As of now, there's no reported human-to-human ...
The contagiousness of the virus depends upon its spreadability and contagiousness. The study observed that contact tracing of nine patients with 15-close contact family members showed no close-contact LayV transmission. Besides 35% of the 26 patients, complained of headaches and vomiting. The virus was found in 27 per cent of the shrew subjects, the Deputy DG of CDC stated. Later, it was identified and isolated from the swab sample of one of those patients. According to a serological survey on domesticated animals, it was seen that 2 per cent of the tested goats and 5 per cent of the tested dogs were positive.
At least 35 patients across 2 Chinese provinces have been infected with the phylogenetically distinct Langya henipavirus (LayV), according to a report in ...
LayV is most closely phylogenetically related to Mojiang henipavirus, a virus with a genome length of 18404 nt originally discovered in southern China. The Langya virus is comprised of 18402 nucleotides with genomic organization identical to other henipaviruses. Though the sample size is small, they suspect Langya virus was hosted by shrews before infecting humans.
As per initial observations, there are concerns that the virus can possibly lead to acute liver and kidney infection.
The LayV was identified in throat swabs of patients with fever. A Zoonotic virus like Covid-19 and Nipah, the Langya virus or LayV has infected 35 people in China. Now, another potentially dangerous virus has emerged in China - the Langya henipavirus.
KUALA LUMPUR: A new virus, which can be transmitted from animals to humans, has infected 35 people in Shandong and Henan provinces in China, ...
"There was no evidence they had been in close contact or had a common exposure history, suggesting human infection may be sporadic, the researchers said. "Among the 35 patients, 26 were infected only with LayV, according to a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine. A Bloomberg news report today said the virus was found thanks to an early detection system for feverish people with a recent history of exposure to animals in eastern China.
Thirty five people are known to have been infected by Langya henipavirus in the Shandong and Henan provinces of China between December 2018 and May 2021.
Nevertheless, he says the most likely source of any future pandemic will be a virus that jumps from animals to humans. The researchers found no evidence of close contact between the people infected with the virus. The researchers mention that some of the infected people had pneumonia, but don’t specify how many or give details on its severity. The researchers tested 25 species of small wild animals for the virus. The Nipah virus, first identified in 1999 in Malaysia, is also part of this genus. The genus includes the Hendra virus, which was first identified in Australia in 1994 and is known to infect humans and horses.
Langya virus, or Langya henipavirus, has been identified in China—the potentially deadly virus spreads from animals to humans.
However, as the situation rapidly evolves and the scientific community’s understanding of the virus develops, some of the information may have changed since it was last updated. “It was discovered over four years ago and we don’t have a ton of cases,” Dr. Russo says. (Shrews, in case you’re not familiar with them, are small, mouse-like animals.) It was also detected in 2% of goats and 5% of dogs that were tested, the paper says. Since Langya henipavirus is a new virus, there’s no specific treatment for it. According to the New England Journal of Medicine paper, the virus seems to be transmitted from animals to humans. “Contact tracing of nine patients with 15 close-contact family members revealed no close-contact LayV transmission,” the researchers wrote. Meaning, Langya henipavirus was the only thing that could have made them sick. Given that we’re still living through a pandemic thanks to COVID-19, and the ongoing outbreak of Monkeypox, it’s understandable to be wary of yet another new infectious disease. According to the paper, 35 people have been diagnosed with Langya henipavirus (LayV) and, of those, the only potential pathogen found in 26 of them was Langya henipavirus. And, if infectious disease experts think it’s time to worry. Most of the 35 cases were in farmers, while other people who developed the virus were factory workers. A new virus has been identified in China that’s raising eyebrows.
Scientists hypothesize wild shrews may be the 'natural reservoir' for the new Langya henipavirus discovered in eastern China.
The Cedar, Ghanaian and Mojiang viruses have not definitively made the jump to humans. “I don’t think this should make the list.” Most of the infected patients were farmers.
Though the virus has not yet caused any fatalities, it comes from the same family as other deadly viruses.
A new study published in Nature Climate Change this week revealed that climate change is making 218 known infectious diseases more severe. In the report, scientists emphasized the importance of keeping an eye on the spread of the virus. As of now, researchers believe the virus cannot be transmitted from human to human.
The virus is related to Hendra and Nipah viruses. But we don't know whether it spreads from human to human.
This new virus appears to be a close cousin of two other viruses that are significant in humans: Nipah virus and Hendra virus. However, it is thought more recent outbreaks have been due to food contaminated with the urine or saliva of infected bats. Although they found a small number of goats and dogs that may have been infected with the virus in the past, there was more direct evidence a significant proportion of wild shrews were harbouring the virus. The researchers used a modern technique known as metagenomic analysis to find this new virus. Researchers in China first detected this new virus as part of routine surveillance in people with a fever who had reported recent contact with animals. It’s related to Hendra and Nipah viruses, which cause disease in humans.
Langya virus, which can cause fever, fatigue and nausea, found in 35 people in eastern China, researchers say.
The Hendra virus was first identified in Australia in 1999 and has infected seven humans and more than 70 horses. Nipah infection can be fatal, with 40 to 75 percent of infected people dying in past outbreaks. Some patients also had body aches, nausea, vomiting and headaches, they said.
It's related to Hendra and Nipah viruses, which cause disease in humans. However, there's much we don't know about the new virus – known as LayV for short – ...
This new virus appears to be a close cousin of two other viruses that are significant in humans: Nipah virus and Hendra virus. Researchers in China first detected this new virus as part of routine surveillance in people with a fever who had reported recent contact with animals. However, it is thought more recent outbreaks have been due to food contaminated with the urine or saliva of infected bats. Although they found a small number of goats and dogs that may have been infected with the virus in the past, there was more direct evidence a significant proportion of wild shrews were harbouring the virus. The researchers used a modern technique known as metagenomic analysis to find this new virus. It’s related to Hendra and Nipah viruses, which cause disease in humans.
35 cases detected in eastern China since 2018, virus believed to transmitted from animals to humans - Anadolu Agency.
Nevertheless, the sample size is too small to rule out person-to-person transmission,” it added. The same genus “includes the Hendra virus, which was first identified in Australia in 1994 and is known to infect humans and horses,” the report said. Experts who identified the virus said LayV is “part of a genus of viruses called henipaviruses that are typically harbored in fruit bats,” according to a report by New Scientist, a UK-based weekly science and technology magazine.
The virus is called Langya henipavirus or LayV, and patients reported symptoms that include fever, fatigue, cough, nausea and headaches. Some people also ...
Zoonoses are animal diseases that transmit to humans, and comprise a large percentage of new and existing diseases in people, according to the World Health Organization. Further investigation is needed to better understand illnesses associated with the virus, according to the researchers in China, Singapore and Australia who were involved in the paper. The infections were found in China’s eastern Shandong and central Henan provinces, affecting 35 people, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine this month.
Scientist detected 35 cases of Langya virus, a new henipavirus, over three years. No deaths or person to person transmission has been reported.
With the development of new techniques for identifying viruses, there’s certainly been a global increase in surveillance, and this has accelerated in the past five years," Hudson said. Cooper guessed that people might also get exposed through contact with the droppings of infected animals, but scientists haven't determined that to be true yet. In the case of Hendra virus, the virus is usually passed from bats to horses; it then infects humans through the animals' excretions or bodily fluids. "There are clearly repeated transmission events from what looks to be a common reservoir in shrews," Cooper said. People can catch Nipah virus from bats or pigs through direct contact with the animals, their bodily fluids or contaminated food. She was infected with a henipavirus, a class that includes some dangerous pathogens like Nipah virus, which has a fatality rate of 40% to 75%.
The henipavirus can cause respiratory symptoms and is related to Nipah and Hendra viruses, but cannot spread easily in people.
This suggested that shrews are a reservoir for the virus, passing LayV between themselves “and somehow infecting people here and there by chance”, says Gurley. Still, she notes that she didn’t see anything in the data to “cause alarm from a pandemic-threat perspective”. The LayV genome shows that the virus is most closely related to Mojiang henipavirus, which was first isolated in rats in an abandoned mine in the southern Chinese province of Yunnan in 2012. Most patients said in a questionnaire that they had been exposed to an animal within a month of their symptoms appearing. Researchers say LayV has infected only 35 people since 2018, and none of the cases seems to be linked. The virus was named after a town called Langya, in Shandong, where she was from, says co-author Linfa Wang, a virologist at Duke–National University of Singapore Medical School in Singapore.
The last time a zoonotic virus carried by a cute animal infected a few people in China, things went pretty badly. But if the Langya virus carries shares some ...
Scientists have warned that phenomena such as deforestation might lead to an increase in the risk of contact between wild animals and humans, heightening the spillover risk. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are as many as half a million viruses with spillover potential that could cause widespread infection among humans. Between then and 2021, 34 more cases were identified, all among farmers, and further researched published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine confirmed the cause was a virus transmitted by shrews—a very small, mole-like mammal typically found on farms.