Nipah virus persists in the brains of nonhuman primate survivors

26Citations
Citations of this article
47Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

Nipah virus (NiV) is an emerging zoonotic paramyxovirus that causes highly lethal henipavirus encephalitis in humans. Survivors develop various neurologic sequelae, including late-onset and relapsing encephalitis, several months up to several years following initial infection. However, the underlying pathology and disease mechanisms of persistent neurologic complications remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate persistent NiV infection in the brains of grivets that survived experimental exposure to NiV. Encephalitis affected the entire brains, with the majority of NiV detected in the neurons and microglia of the brainstems, cerebral cortices, and cerebella. We identified the vascular endothelium in the brain as an initial target of NiV infection during the acute phase of disease, indicating a primary path of entry for NiV into the brain. Notably, we were unable to detect NiV anywhere else except the brains in the examined survivors. Our findings indicate that late-onset and relapsing encephalitis of NiV in human survivors may be due to viral persistence in the brain and shed light on the pathogenesis of chronic henipavirus encephalitis.

References Powered by Scopus

Nipah virus: A recently emergent deadly paramyxovirus

1075Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Fatal encephalitis due to Nipah virus among pig-farmers in Malaysia

665Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Isolation of Nipah virus from Malaysian Island flying-foxes

510Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Cited by Powered by Scopus

Human coronaviruses and other respiratory viruses: Underestimated opportunistic pathogens of the central nervous system?

786Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Molecular detection of SARS-CoV-2 in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens

74Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Receptor-mediated cell entry of paramyxoviruses: Mechanisms, and consequences for tropism and pathogenesis

56Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Liu, J., Coffin, K. M., Johnston, S. C., Babka, A. M., Bell, T. M., Long, S. Y., … Zeng, X. (2019). Nipah virus persists in the brains of nonhuman primate survivors. JCI Insight, 4(14). https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.129629

Readers' Seniority

Tooltip

PhD / Post grad / Masters / Doc 13

59%

Researcher 7

32%

Professor / Associate Prof. 2

9%

Readers' Discipline

Tooltip

Immunology and Microbiology 8

35%

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Bi... 6

26%

Medicine and Dentistry 5

22%

Agricultural and Biological Sciences 4

17%

Article Metrics

Tooltip
Mentions
Blog Mentions: 1
Social Media
Shares, Likes & Comments: 19

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free