Paul SelleckPaul Selleck

CSIRO Australian Animal CSIRO Australian Animal Health LaboratoryHealth Laboratory

Hendra Virus – an updateHendra Virus – an update

Acute Equine Respiratory Syndrome

Hendra Virus CPE

Livestock Industries

Vic Rail also ill

Hendra Virus IFA

Experimentally Infected Horses

•No antibody in Queensland horses

•No antibody in domestic species

wildlife animal• wide range of habitats• travel long distance• birds or bats?

Search for the natural host

Pteropus Bats

4 Pteropus species in Australia• Antibody found in all 4 species• Up to 30% seroprevalence

Hendra Research

Organisation of Paramyxovirus Genome

56 kd 53 kd 41 kd 68 kd 82 kd 220 kd

Hendra virus genome > 18 kb

NDV Genome size of 15.2 kbNDV Genome size of 15.2 kb

NP P M F HN L

V

Publicity of the first outbreak

The Nipah Outbreak

• Between 98/9 – 99/4: 265 human cases, 105 fatal

• Resulted in the culling of 1.1 million pigs• Virus isolated from brains of fatal human case in 99/3

• CDC confirmed Hendra-like virus using anti-HeV sera

• Pig-to-pig transmission via respiratory route• No human-to-human transmission detected!!!• Assays developed for Hendra used for Nipah

The Nipah Outbreak

Media Response

CSIRO

Family fears for boy whose dog has Hendra Owners of a dog that tested positive to Hendra virus hold fears for their son, 11, who shared a bed with Dusty, but say the family won't let their beloved pet be put down.

CSIRO

THE owners of a dog that tested positive to the Hendra virus now hold grave fears for their young son. Two-year-old kelpie Dusty tested positive to virus anti-bodies earlier this week and authorities say the family pet had had contact with three horses that died from the virus.Owners Neil and Liz Fearon now say they are concerned for the health of their 11-year-old son who has slept with the dog in his bed.The owners have also said they will not euthanase the dog despite Queensland law requiring infected animals be put down.

Media Response

• IFA• Based on M and NP• Group Reactive

• VNT• Based on G protein• Hev and Niv specific but significant cross reaction

• ELISA• Based on NP• Group Reactive• Expressed NP and G antigens under development

• PCR• Originally based on M gene• Now added NP and L gene PCR• G gene PCR under development

CSIRO

Diagnostic Assays

CSIRO

Thank you

CSIRO