''Langya henipavirus'' (LayV), also known as Langya virus, is a species of

henipavirus ''Henipavirus'' is a genus of negative-strand RNA viruses in the family ''Paramyxoviridae'', order ''Mononegavirales'' containing six established species, and numerous others still under study. Henipaviruses are naturally harboured by several sp ...

first detected in the Chinese provinces of

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

and

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

. It has been announced in 35 patients from 2018 to August 2022. All but 9 of the 35 cases in China were infected with LayV only, with the symptoms including fever, fatigue, and cough. No deaths due to LayV have been reported . Langya henipavirus affects species including humans, dogs, goats, and its presumed original host,

shrews Shrews (family Soricidae) are small mole-like mammals classified in the order Eulipotyphla. True shrews are not to be confused with treeshrews, otter shrews, elephant shrews, West Indies shrews, or marsupial shrews, which belong to different ...

. The 35 cases were not in contact with each other, and it is not known if the virus is capable of

human-to-human transmission Human-to-human transmission (HHT) is an epidemiologic vector, especially in case the disease is borne by individuals known as superspreaders. In these cases, the basic reproduction number of the virus, which is the average number of additional peop ...

Etymology

The name of the virus in Simplified Chinese (, ) refers to

Langya Commandery Langya Commandery ( zh, , ) was a commandery in historical China from Qin dynasty to Tang dynasty, located in present-day southeast Shandong and northeast Jiangsu. The commandery was established in Qin dynasty on the former territories of Qi. Fro ...

, a historical

commandery In the Middle Ages, a commandery (rarely commandry) was the smallest administrative division of the European landed properties of a military order. It was also the name of the house where the knights of the commandery lived.Anthony Luttrell and G ...

in present-day

, China.

Classification

Langya henipavirus is classified as a

in the family ''

Paramyxoviridae ''Paramyxoviridae'' (from Ancient Greek, Greek ''para-'' “by the side of” and ''myxa'' “mucus”) is a family of negative-strand RNA viruses in the order ''Mononegavirales''. Vertebrates serve as natural hosts. Diseases associated with this ...

''. Its closest relative, the Mojiang henipavirus, is the only other henipavirus not to be found primarily in

bats Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

. It is also closely related to the

Nipah virus Nipah virus, scientific name ''Nipah henipavirus'', is a bat-borne virus that causes Nipah virus infection in humans and other animals, a disease with a high mortality rate. Numerous disease outbreaks caused by Nipah virus have occurred in Sout ...

and the

Hendra virus Hendra virus (HeV), scientific name ''Hendra henipavirus'', is a bat-borne virus that is associated with a highly fatal infection in horses and humans. Numerous disease outbreaks in Australia among horses have been caused by Hendra virus. The Hend ...

Symptoms

Of the 35 people infected with the virus, 26 were identified as not showing signs of another infection. They all experienced

fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a body temperature, temperature above the human body temperature, normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, set point. There is not a single ...

, with

fatigue Fatigue describes a state of tiredness that does not resolve with rest or sleep. In general usage, fatigue is synonymous with extreme tiredness or exhaustion that normally follows prolonged physical or mental activity. When it does not resolve ...

being the second most common symptom. Coughing, muscle pains,

nausea Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. While not painful, it can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the ...

, headaches and vomiting were also reported as symptoms of infection. More than half of the infectees had

leukopenia Leukopenia () is a decrease in the number of leukocytes (WBC). Found in the blood, they are the white blood cells, and are the body's primary defense against an infection. Thus the condition of leukopenia places individuals at increased risk of inf ...

, and more than a third had

thrombocytopenia Thrombocytopenia is a condition characterized by abnormally low levels of platelets, also known as thrombocytes, in the blood. It is the most common coagulation disorder among intensive care patients and is seen in a fifth of medical patients an ...

, with a smaller number being reported to have impaired liver or kidney function.

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. One researcher commented in the

NEJM ''The New England Journal of Medicine'' (''NEJM'') is a weekly medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. It is among the most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals as well as the oldest continuously published one. Hist ...

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." 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.

Control measures

The

Taiwan Centers for Disease Control The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC; ) is the agency of the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Republic of China (Taiwan) that combats the threat of communicable diseases. Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) The Central Epidemic ...

said in August 2022 that they would establish a nucleic acid testing method to identify the virus and strengthen surveillance.

References

External links

* (Chinese
中国新发现一种与人类发热性疾病相关的动物源性亨尼帕病毒
''New England Journal of Medicine'' {{Taxonbar, from=Q113468392 Henipavirus Viral respiratory tract infections Zoonoses Public health Disease outbreaks in China 2018 in China 2022 in China