China reports first human death from Monkey B Virus. All you need to know

A Beijing veterinarian began to experience nausea and vomiting, followed by fever and neurological problems a month later.

A Beijing-based veterinary surgeon was infected with the virus after he dissected two dead monkeys in early March.(Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

The first human infection with the Monkey B Virus (BV) and death has been reported in China. According to China CDC Weekly, a veterinary surgeon in Beijing was infected with the virus after dissecting two dead monkeys in early March.

The 53-year-old veterinarian began to feel nauseated and vomit, and a month later, he had a fever and neurological symptoms. He went to various hospitals before dying on May 27, according to China CDC Weekly.

Researchers took CSF fluid from the patient in mid-April for next-generation sequencing, and the results revealed an alphaherpesvirus infection. They also collected blister fluid, blood, a nasal swab, a throat swab, and plasma to help them pinpoint the etiological agent.

The samples were forwarded to the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention (IVDC). The IVDC used four sets of RT-PCR to detect BV, VZV, monkeypox virus, and orthopoxvirus, however the sample only tested positive for BV.

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According to the Global Times, all of the patient's close contacts have tested negative for the virus and are therefore safe for the time being. The virus could represent a zoonotic concern to primate veterinarians, animal care employees, or laboratory researchers, according to China CDC Weekly, citing the first human mortality from Monkey BV.

The publication emphasised the need of eradicating the virus during the construction of "specific pathogen-free rhesus colonies" in China, as well as increasing surveillance in laboratory macaques and occupational workers.

Here's everything there is to know about Monkey BV:

Monkey BV is an alphaherpesvirus that is enzootic in macaques. It was discovered in 1932.

The virus is mainly transmitted by direct contact and the exchange of bodily fluid discharges, according to China CDC Weekly.

While BV is not seen in its natural macaque hosts, there have been roughly 60 occurrences of virulent zoonotic BV infection, with a death rate of around 70%–80%, according to the journal.

When transmitted to people, BV has a proclivity for invading the central nervous system, according to a paper published in the US National Library of Medicine.

The establishment and maintenance of true BV specific pathogen-free macaque colonies, as advised by China CDC Weekly, has proven difficult, according to the 2008 report.

After being exposed to the virus for 1-3 weeks, the first symptoms usually appear.

@All Time Highlights