New virus discovered, raises pandemic fears

Scientists identified the Camp Hill virus in shrews in Alabama, sparking fears it could find its way through animal reservoirs to humans and cause a potentially wide-reaching outbreak.

The Camp Hill virus belongs to a family of pathogens called henipaviruses, including the Nipah virus, a bat-borne virus that kills up to 70 percent of people it infects. The Camp Hill virus, however, has never been recorded in humans and scientists don’t know what symptoms are or the death rate

The closest virus to Camp Hill that’s infected humans is the Langya virus, which crossed from shrews to humans in China. It causes fever, fatigue, cough, muscle aches, liver dysfunction, and kidney damage.

Dr Rhys Parry from the University of Queensland, who confirmed the virus’ presence in Alabama shrews, said: ‘This indicates that shrew-to-human transmission can occur.

‘The discovery of a henipavirus in North America is highly significant, as it suggests these viruses may be more globally distributed than previously thought.’

And researchers are concerned, writing in a new report that, ‘given the high case-fatality rates associated with henipaviruses,’ detection of Camp Hill virus in North America ‘raises concerns about past and potential future spillover events.

However, they also say more research is needed to determine whether Camp Hill virus threatens humans.

Dr Parry said: ‘Henipaviruses have caused serious disease and death in people and animals in other regions.

‘One of the most dangerous is the Hendra virus, which was first detected in Brisbane, Australia, and has a fatality rate of 70 percent.

Another example is Nipah virus, which has recorded fatality rates between 40 and 75 percent in outbreaks in Southeast Asia, including in Malaysia and Bangladesh.’

Hendra and Nipah virus can cause flu and respiratory distress symptoms including pneumonia. Hendra virus can lead to severe brain and spinal cord inflammation, seizures, confusion, and coma.

Nipah virus can also cause seizures, as well as brain inflammation, disorientation, confusion, and coma within as little as 24 hours.

Both viruses have no specific treatment.

Australian fruit bats are the typical hosts of the Camp Hill virus, but the discovery of the virus in a North American mammal for the first time could change previously held beliefs on how the virus spreads, the scientists said.

This finding suggests the Camp Hill virus is more widely geographically distributed than scientists previously believed and that it has evolved to survive in different animal species.

The northern short-tailed shrew is common in bushy woodlands and bogs, typically in Southern Canada and the Eastern and Central US. Much of their habitat overlaps with where humans live, leaving the door open for possible animal-to-human spillover.

Researchers identified the virus in shrews in 2021, though only released the report this week.

The virus has not been detected in animals other than bats before, nor has it ever infected humans.

Scientists captured four northern short-tailed shrews (Blarina brevicauda) in Alabama as part of a study on mammal aging. They analyzed tissue samples from the shrews and discovered genetic material from Camp Hill virus.

The virus was primarily found in the shrews’ kidneys, which suggests it would attack the same organs in humans.

Co-author Dr Ariel Isaacs said the research team focused on developing vaccines for this family of viruses.

Henipaviruses, such as Nipah and Hendra, infect cells by attaching to specific proteins on the surface of the host cell.

They use a protein called the G protein to latch onto cell receptors and another protein, the F protein, to merge their membrane with the host cell’s membrane. This allows the virus to enter the cell and start multiplying.

Dr Isaacs said the next step in this research is to study the important surface proteins on the virus that play a role in entering cells, in order to deepen our understanding of this virus family and find better ways to protect against it.