New parajeilongviruses detected in bats but not in humans: assays for screening and diagnostic purposes
To enhance preparedness against existing and new zoonotic viruses such as Hendra virus, Nipah virus, and other paramyxoviruses, screening tools and efficient diagnostic methods are needed. Here, we established a conventional nested pan-PCR assay using previously described primers for screening of human and bat samples. Additionally, we developed specific real-time RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) assays to detect Nipah virus and Hendra virus genotypes 1 and 2. Both PCR methods demonstrated good performance and could be used for screening of paramyxoviruses. Human serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples from 558 Finnish patients and 60 serum samples from Kenyan patients were screened using the nested-pan-PCR assay, and all were negative. In addition, we screened 340 synanthropic bat samples collected during 2021 and 2023 from Kenya, resulting in the discovery of two parajeilongviruses in Angolan free-tailed bat (Mops condylurus) samples.
Authors
- Moses Masika (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3385-0821)
- Kristian M. Forbes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2112-2707)
- Olli Vapalahti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2270-6824)
- Tuure Kinnunen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1595-5371)
- Essi M. Korhonen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4730-7715)
- Joseph Ogola (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4788-5649)
- Paul W. Webala (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0576-8935)
- Reilly T. Jackson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4513-7137)
- Elsi Pulkkinen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2964-8594)
- Ruut Joensuu
- Tamika J Lunn
- Anne J. Jääskeläinen
- Tarja Sironen
- Omu Anzala
Institutions
- University of Nairobi (KE)
- University of Helsinki (FI)
- University of Eastern Finland (FI)
- Helsinki Institute of Physics (FI)
- Helsinki University Hospital (FI)
- Maasai Mara University (KE)
- Eastern Finland Laboratory Center (FI)
- Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (FI)
- University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Archives of Virology
- Published
- 2026-01-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-025-06520-1
- Primary Topic
- Virology and Viral Diseases
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Itä-Suomen Yliopisto
- Helsingin Yliopisto
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Robert Koch Institut