Hendra Virus

Abstract

Hendra virus (HeV) is a zoonotic pathogen that was first identified in Hendra, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, in 1994. Commonly present in fruit bats (flying foxes) without overt clinical symptoms, HeV is capable of causing acute, rapidly progressive, and fatal disease in horses and humans. Since its initial description, HeV has continued to emerge in Queensland and northern New South Wales, Australia. By June 2014, a total of 50 sporadic HeV outbreaks have been recorded involving horses as the intermediate host, resulting in the death or euthanasia of 83 horses (with a mortality rate of 75%) and 7 human cases (including four casualties) after exposure to infected horses.