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Hendra Virus Update

Written by DPI
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
As many of you will now be aware, the horse that recovered from Hendra virus (HeV) has been euthanised. The DPI&F seriously considered long term quarantine and monitoring of this horse, however the decision was based largely on the advice of medical authorities as it was decided to be too large a risk to human life. Below is information produced by the Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Ron Glanville: Firstly, this was a really tough decision and I can certainly understand why people would question why it should be put down and why it couldn't be kept alive for further study. Secondly, I need to emphasize that this is one of the most deadly viruses known to man. It has a mortality rate in horses of over 70 percent. Not counting the current people in hospital, 50 percent of previous human cases have died. It is a high level containment category virus that is only studied in laboratories under the strictest of biocontainment protocols. Hence it is not something to play around with. While the national policy for Hendra virus is, and has always been, that blood test positive horses should be put down, we did take the time to review this policy in this case. We also seriously considered the option of long term quarantine and monitoring of the surviving horse. However we came to the final view that it should be put down largely based on the advice of medical authorities that it was not worth the risk to human life (particularly the people caring for the horse). This is a highly fatal disease and we know that there is a real risk that it can reappear in an infected animal at a later time. It was considered that the human health & safety considerations must come first. This decision was supported by Chief Veterinary Officers from all States and the Commonwealth, the Head of the Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong, the Australian Racing Board, the Australian Horse Industry Council, the federal Department of Health & Aging, Queensland Health and the Australian Veterinary Association. In making this decision, it was also noted that the actual information to be gleaned from longer term monitoring the horse would be relatively limited. However we will learn as much as possible from this horse. People from the Australian Animal Health Laboratory attended the autopsy and a wide range of tissues were collected for further analysis. There are two primary pieces of evidence indicating that Hendra virus infection may remain dormant in the body and re-appear at a later time: 1. There was a human death from HeV infection in 1995 where the person contracted the infection approximately 12 months earlier, had a mild infection at the time, appeared to recover but later succumbed to the disease. References - Allworth A, O'Sullivan J, Selvey L, Sheridan J. Equine morbillivirus in Queensland. Communicable Disease Intelligence. 1995;19(22):575. O’Sullivan JD, Allworth AM, Snow TM, Boots R, Gleeson LJ, Gould AR, Hyatt AD, Bradfield J. Fatal encephalitis due to novel paramyxovirus transmitted from horses. The Lancet 1997, 349: 93-95. 2. Nipah virus is a closely related virus causing mortalities in people in Asia. The ability of this virus to become active again after a dormant period has been well documented in around 10 percent of cases and occurs up to 2-3 years following initial infection. Approximately 18 percent of these cases are fatal.. Reference – Halpin, K, Mungall, BA. Recent Progress in Henipavirus Research. Comparative Immunology, Microbiology & Infectious Diseases 30 (2007) 287-307. So, while Tamworth may have appeared to be well, the disease could re-appear at any time. Some people have asked whether this horse could be useful in work towards developing a vaccine for Hendra virus. The basic research that could lead to production of a vaccine has already been conducted and a vaccine is possible. A recovered horse would not make any further contribution to vaccine research. The main issue regarding production of a vaccine will be whether it would be commercially viable. This is still a very rare disease in a relatively limited part of the world and drug companies tend to only develop vaccines that will get sold widely. A possibility would be development of a vaccine that protected for both Hendra virus and Nipah virus, as this would have much broader application. Similarly we have been asked about the possibility of breeding from this horse so that the antibodies it has developed could be passed on to other horses. Firstly, there is nothing unusual about some animals having an innate resistance to infection, fighting off the infection and subsequently developing antibodies. This happens with all diseases, but the antibodies are not passed on to their offspring, except temporarily through the mother's milk. The innate resistance factors that Tamworth had may or may not have been heritable. However he was a gelding, so this would not have been possible in any case. I hope this helps you to understand the issues in relation to this matter. CLINICAL SIGNS OF HENDRA VIRUS IN HORSES Summary of clinical signs observed on affected horses at Redlands Vet Clinic: · Dull, depressed · Inappetant · Elevated temperature (often above 40) · Increased heart rate and respiratory rate · Dark mucous membranes · Reduced gut signs · Colicy · Trembling · Laying down · Ataxia (unsteady/wobbly) · Head tilt, circling · Loss of vision · Change in temperament (aggressive) · Rapid deterioration (most died or were euthanised after 1-2 days). In other cases epistaxis (bleeding from nose) and/or frothy nasal discharge has been present in some horses. If you require any further information On Hendra virus I urge you to refer to the QHC website www.qldhorsecouncil.com or visit the DPI&F website www.dpi.qld.gov.au or log onto http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/cps/rde/dpi/hs.xsl/27 2900 ENA HTML.htm