Nipah virus: an emergent paramyxovirus causing severe encephalitis in humans

Nipah virus is a recently emergent paramyxovirus that is capable of causing severe disease in both humans and animals. The first outbreak of Nipah virus occurred in Malaysia and Singapore in 1999 and, more recently, outbreaks were detected in Bangladesh. In humans, Nipah virus causes febrile encephalitis with respiratory syndrome that has a high mortality rate. The reservoir for Nipah virus is believed to be fruit bats, and humans are infected by contact with infected bats or by contact with an intermediate animal host such as pigs. Person to person spread of the virus has also been described. Nipah virus retains many of the genetic and biologic properties found in other paramyxoviruses, though it also has several unique characteristics. However, the virologic characteristics that allow the virus to cause severe disease over a broad host range, and the epidemiologic, environmental and virologic features that favor transmission to humans are unknown. This review summarizes what is known about the virology, epidemiology, pathology, diagnosis and control of this novel pathogen.