New Nipah-Like Deadly Bat Virus Detected in Bangladesh: Survivors Face Severe Health Issues, Scientists Warn It Could Be More Lethal

Another deadly virus detected: Scientists have identified a new bat-borne virus behind a mystery illness in Bangladesh that was first thought to be Nipah, warning it may be more dangerous than earlier versions, says a new study.

Amid the ongoing global concern over Nipah, virologists issued a striking warning on Tuesday - While the whole world is concerned about the deadly Nipah virus, another, equally lethal virus is spreading its tentacles in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

"A mystery illness that looked like Nipah has now been linked to another emerging and potentially deadly bat-borne virus called Pteropine orthoreovirus," the researchers said at the release of their findings in a report published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases in Dhaka.

According to the reports, between December 2022 and March 2023, five patients were admitted to hospitals in Bangladesh with fever, vomiting, headache, fatigue, excessive salivation and neurological problems. All of them had consumed raw date-palm sap, a common winter drink that bats also feed on.

Speaking to the media, officials stated that initially they feared Nipah virus but each of those patients tested negative. Although, most of them were discharged after a week, they later complained about suffering from long-term problems such as confusion, breathing trouble and difficulty walking. One of them died in 2024 after his condition worsened with an unexplained brain-related illness.

Scientists later found that the patients were infected with pteropine orthoreovirus, or PRV, another virus carried by bats. "All five patients in Bangladesh had severe respiratory and neurological symptoms, unlike earlier PRV cases in other countries," the scientists wrote in the study.

With the emergence of such viruses, what people across the globe fear is whether the world is on the verge of another deadly virus outbreak. Let's understand the hidden characteristics of this new virus and understand why it is so deadly.

What Is Pteropine Orthoreovirus?

Pteropine orthoreovirus (PRV) is a member of the Orthoreovirus genus in the Reoviridae family a group of double stranded RNA viruses that includes pathogens capable of infecting animals and humans. PRVs were first identified in bats and later in humans with respiratory symptoms, particularly in Southeast Asia.

Unlike many viruses that primarily affect one species, PRVs are considered zoonotic meaning they can jump from animals (in this case, bats) to humans. Bats of the Pteropus and related genera (fruit bats) are known to harbor PRV and may shed the virus through saliva, feces, or urine.

How Does The Virus Spread?

The primary carrier of the PRV is fruit bats. They can spread the deadly virus strain to humans via infected fruits, or vegetables, and human infections appear to occur through environmental exposure to virus contaminated materials. As per studies, one of the documented pathway is through the consumption of raw date palm sap, a popular drink in parts of South Asia that bats frequently contaminate while feeding on sap collection sites.

In the study, the researchers wrote: "In areas where people drink raw date-palm sap, the researchers advised that doctors should test for PRV along with Nipah and other bat-borne viruses when patients show signs of serious respiratory or neurological illness."

Symptoms of Pteropine Orthoreovirus (PRV)

Although direct human to human transmission has not been well established, PRV symptoms can closely resemble those of other bat borne viruses such as Nipah, making diagnosis challenging without advanced molecular testing. PRV has been detected in throat swabs and cultured from patient samples, confirming direct infection rather than incidental contact.

Here are some of the most common signs of the Pteropine orthoreovirus that one should know:

1. Fever, accompanied by chills and body ache
2. Severe breathing issues
3. Persistent cough and headache
4. Neurological symptoms such as disorientation and altered mental status
5. Acute respiratory illness and encephalitis (brain inflammation)
6. Extreme fatigue and tiredness

In documented cases in Bangladesh, five patients hospitalized between 2022 and 2023 tested negative for Nipah virus but were later found to be infected with PRV through detailed genetic analysis. Four patients showed signs of encephalitis, and one died after clinical deterioration, although a definitive cause of death link to PRV alone remains under investigation.

Follow TheHealthSite.com for all the latest health news and developments from around the world.