A new study has revealed that a mysterious viral illness in Bangladesh, initially thought to be a Nipah virus outbreak, was actually caused by a different and potentially deadly bat-borne virus known as Pteropine orthoreovirus (PRV). According to a report cited by The Independent, five patients were hospitalized between December 2022 and March 2023 with fever, vomiting, headache, fatigue, excessive salivation, and neurological symptoms. All had consumed raw date palm sap, a known source of bat contamination, but tested negative for Nipah virus.

Researchers confirmed PRV infection after genetic analysis of both patients and bats captured near the Padma River basin. The study, published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, found that all five patients suffered severe respiratory and neurological symptoms, unlike the milder PRV cases reported in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. One patient later died in 2024 due to neurological complications.

Scientists urged enhanced surveillance in areas where raw date palm sap is consumed, emphasizing that health risks extend beyond Nipah virus and calling for broader monitoring of bat-borne pathogens.