Hendra virus infection risks

Abstract

Bats of the genus Pteropus are natural hosts of henipaviruses, an emergent group of viruses that includes two recognised members of the genus: Hendra virus and Nipah virus. Hendra virus was first described in 1994 in Australia. To date, there have been 11 recognised spillover events of Hendra virus to horses, four of these involving subsequent horse-to-human transmission, Animal health authorities in Australia foster increased awareness, alertness and preparedness in the horse-owning and veterinary communities, and encourage husbandry practices to minimize risk of exposure of horses to flying fox excreta. However, the proximate triggers for spillover events remain unclear.