Langya henipavirus

Langya henipavirus (LayV), also known as Langya virus, is a species of henipavirus first detected in the Chinese provinces of Shandong and Henan.[1][2][3] It has been announced in 35 patients from 2018 to August 2022.[1][4][5] All but 9 of the 35 cases in China were infected with LayV only, with the symptoms including fever, fatigue, and cough.[2][6] No deaths due to LayV have been reported as of August 2022.[2][6][7] Langya henipavirus affects species including humans, dogs, goats, and its presumed original host, shrews.[1][8][9] The 35 cases were not in contact with each other, and it is not known as of August 2022 if the virus is capable of human-to-human transmission.[7][10][11]

Langya henipavirus
Structure of a henipavirus such as LayV
Virus classification Edit this classification
(unranked): Virus
Realm: Riboviria
Kingdom: Orthornavirae
Phylum: Negarnaviricota
Class: Monjiviricetes
Order: Mononegavirales
Family: Paramyxoviridae
Genus: Henipavirus
Species:
Langya henipavirus

Etymology

The name of the virus in Simplified Chinese (琅琊病毒, Lángyá bìngdú) refers to Langya Commandery, a historical commandery in present-day Shandong, China.[12]

Classification

Langya henipavirus is classified as a henipavirus in the family Paramyxoviridae. Its closest relative, the Mojiang henipavirus, is the only other henipavirus not to be found primarily in bats.[3][13] It is also closely related to the Nipah virus and the Hendra virus.[8]

Symptoms

Of the 35 people infected with the virus, 26 were identified as not showing signs of another infection. They all experienced fever, with fatigue being the second most common symptom. Coughing, muscle pains, nausea, headaches and vomiting were also reported as symptoms of infection.[2]

More than half of the infectees had leukopenia, and more than a third had thrombocytopenia, with a smaller number being reported to have impaired liver or kidney function.[2]

Transmission

The researchers who identified the virus found LayV antibodies in a few goats and dogs, and identified LayV viral RNA in 27% of the 262 shrews they sampled. They found no strong evidence of the virus spreading between people.[8] One researcher commented in the NEJM that henipaviruses do not typically spread between people, and thus LayV would be unlikely to become a pandemic, stating: "The only henipavirus that has showed some sign of human-to-human transmission is the Nipah virus and that requires very close contact. I don't think this has much pandemic potential."[2] Another researcher noted that LayV is most likely not transmitted from person to person easily, and that the most likely source of a future pandemic would be a virus that "jumps" from animals to humans.[2]

Control measures

The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control said in August 2022 that they would establish a nucleic acid testing method to identify the virus and strengthen surveillance.[3][6][7]

References
  1. Zhang, Xiao-Ai; Li, Hao; Jiang, Fa-Chun; Zhu, Feng; Zhang, Yun-Fa; Chen, Jin-Jin; Tan, Chee-Wah; Anderson, Danielle E.; Fan, Hang; Dong, Li-Yan; Li, Chang; Zhang, Pan-He; Li, Yue; Ding, Heng; Fang, Li-Qun; Wang, Lin-Fa; Liu, Wei (3 August 2022). "A Zoonotic Henipavirus in Febrile Patients in China". New England Journal of Medicine. 387 (5): 470–472. doi:10.1056/NEJMc2202705. PMID 35921459. S2CID 251315935.
  2. Murugesu, Jason Arunn (10 August 2022). "Langya virus: How serious is the new pathogen discovered in China?". New Scientist. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  3. Lu, Donna (10 August 2022). "Newly identified Langya virus tracked after China reports dozens of cases". The Guardian.
  4. Zhu, Melissa (9 August 2022). "Langya: New virus infects 35 people in eastern China". BBC News.
  5. Kika, Thomas (8 August 2022). "Langya Virus: China Detects New Virus in 35 People". Newsweek. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  6. "[Taiwan's] CDC to monitor novel virus after China infection reports". Focus Taiwan - CNA English News. 8 August 2022. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022.
  7. "Zoonotic Langya virus found in China, [Taiwan's] CDC says". Taipei Times. 9 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  8. Mallapaty, Smriti (11 August 2022). "New 'Langya' virus identified in China: what scientists know so far". Nature. 608 (7924): 656–657. Bibcode:2022Natur.608..656M. doi:10.1038/d41586-022-02175-z. PMID 35953571.
  9. "China discovers potentially fatal new virus passed to humans from shrews". The Independent. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  10. Amy Cheng (10 August 2022). "New Langya virus that may have spilled over from animals infects dozens". Washington Post. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  11. Michelle Fay Cortez (9 August 2022). "Dozens in China Infected With New 'Langya' Virus Carried by Shrews". Bloomberg. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  12. "琅琊病毒"译名引争议，临沂疾控中心和论文作者都回应了|界面新闻 · 中国. jiemian.com (in Chinese). 10 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  13. "Genus: Henipavirus - Paramyxoviridae - Mononegavirales". International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
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