New variant of Hendra virus detected in Qld bats
A deadly new variant of a virus which has killed four people has been detected in flying fox bats in southeast Queensland.
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Horse owners in Queensland will need to be on alert as a new variant of the Hendra virus, a deadly pathogen which has claimed the lives of horses and humans, has been detected.
The latest variant was recently discovered in samples of a horse that died in 2015 and now Griffith University researchers have detected the strain in the urine of black and grey-headed flying fox bats across southeast Queensland and New South Wales.
Lead researcher Dr Alison Peel from the Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security said the finding has allowed researchers to learn that contact with bat urine is how horses become infected with the pathogen.
“Our study, by revealing associations with particular flying fox species, helps to identify the variant’s distribution in these animals,” Dr Peel said.
“Our evidence suggests that the risk of Hendra virus to horses and their carers should be a consideration wherever the ranges of flying foxes and horses overlap.”
The study, made up of more than 6000 flying fox urine samples, has found the HeV-g2 variant may transmit to horses and humans more widely than before, with the strain confirmed to have killed a horse in Newcastle late last year.
The new variant, which has travelled further than its predecessors, offers a fresh warning for horse owners to vaccinate their pets against Hendra, with the virus detected most in the cooler months between late May and August.
“This information will help horse owners and veterinarians across Australia consider the risk of Hendra virus and take steps such as vaccinating their horses to reduce this risk.” Dr Peel said.
The World Health Organisation states symptoms of the virus in humans range from mild influenza-like illness to fatal respiratory or neurological disease.
The Hendra virus has killed four of the seven Australians who have been infected since 1994.
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