Tioman virus
Encyclopedia
Tioman virus is a paramyxovirus
first isolated from the urine of island fruit bat
s (Pteropus hypomelanus) on Tioman Island
, Malaysia in 2000. The virus
was discovered during efforts to identify the natural host of Nipah virus which was responsible for a large outbreak of encephalitic illness in humans and pigs in Malaysia and Singapore
in 1998-99.
Tioman virus is antigenically related to Menangle virus
which is also harboured by Pteropid fruit bats and caused an outbreak of foetal deformities in pigs in Australia
in 1997.
Although there is no evidence that Tioman virus can cause illness in humans or animals, its close relationship to other disease-causing paramyxoviruses (Hendra virus, Nipah virus, Menangle virus) suggests the possibility that it may cause disease upon crossing the species barrier. The recent emergence of a number of zoonotic bat-borne viruses in the Asia-Pacific region also demonstrates that conditions are increasingly favouring this type of event.
Paramyxovirus
Paramyxoviruses are viruses of the Paramyxoviridae family of the Mononegavirales order; they are negative-sense single-stranded RNA viruses responsible for a number of human and animal diseases.-Genera:*Subfamily Paramyxovirinae**Genus Avulavirus Paramyxoviruses (from Greek para-, beyond, -myxo-,...
first isolated from the urine of island fruit bat
Fruit Bat
Fruit Bat can refer to:* Megabats, a species of bat which eats fruit* Les "Fruitbat" Carter, guitarist of Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine* Fruit Bats , an American band...
s (Pteropus hypomelanus) on Tioman Island
Tioman Island
Tioman Island is a small island located 32 km off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia in the state of Pahang, and is some 39 km long and 12 km wide. It has eight main villages, the largest and most populous being Kampung Tekek in the north...
, Malaysia in 2000. The virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
was discovered during efforts to identify the natural host of Nipah virus which was responsible for a large outbreak of encephalitic illness in humans and pigs in Malaysia and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in 1998-99.
Tioman virus is antigenically related to Menangle virus
Menangle virus
Menangle virus is a virus that infects pigs, humans and bats.-History:Menangle virus was first identified in 1997 after a piggery in Menangle near Sydney, NSW, Australia experienced a high number of stillbirths and deformities during farrowing. Two workers at the piggery came down with an...
which is also harboured by Pteropid fruit bats and caused an outbreak of foetal deformities in pigs in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1997.
Although there is no evidence that Tioman virus can cause illness in humans or animals, its close relationship to other disease-causing paramyxoviruses (Hendra virus, Nipah virus, Menangle virus) suggests the possibility that it may cause disease upon crossing the species barrier. The recent emergence of a number of zoonotic bat-borne viruses in the Asia-Pacific region also demonstrates that conditions are increasingly favouring this type of event.