Newly discovered viruses of flying foxes

Flying foxes have been the focus of research into three newly described vir uses from the order Mononegavirales, namely Hendra virus (HeV), Menangle vi rus and Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABL). Early investigations indicate that flying foxes are the reservoir host for these viruses. In 1994, two outbre aks of a new zoonotic disease affecting horses and humans occurred in Queen sland. The virus which was found to be responsible was called equine morbil livirus (EMV) and has since been renamed HeV. Investigation into the reserv oir of HeV has produced evidence that antibodies capable of neutralising He V have only been detected in flying foxes. Over 20% of flying foxes in east ern Australia have been identified as being seropositive. Additionally six species of flying foxes in Papua New Guinea have tested positive for antibo dies to HeV. In 1996 a virus from the family Paramyxoviridae was isolated f rom the uterine fluid of a female flying fox. Sequencing of 10 000 of the 1 8 000 base pairs (bp) has shown that the sequence is identical to the HeV s equence. As part of investigations into HeV, a virus was isolated from a ju venile flying fox which presented with neurological signs in 1996. This vir us was characterised as belonging to the family Rhabdoviridae, and was name d ABL. Since then four flying fox species and one insectivorous species hav e tested positive for ABL. The third virus to be detected in flying foxes i s Menangle virus, belonging to the family Paramyxoviridae. This virus was r esponsible for a zoonotic disease affecting pigs and humans in New South Wa les in 1997. Antibodies capable of neutralising Menangle virus, were detect ed in flying foxes. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.