Insights into the acute phase of Nipah virus infection: clinical
features, viral detection, and humoral immune response
Abstract
Background Nipah virus (NiV) infection poses a significant
threat to global public health. Understanding its initial acute clinical
phase and associated immunological responses may be crucial for
assessing prognosis as well as developing effective treatment
strategies. Methods: During the 2023 and 2024 NiV outbreaks in
Bangladesh, clinical and laboratory data from 15 confirmed cases were
collected in this study. Throat swabs and serum samples were tested for
viral detection by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain
reaction (RT-PCR) and humoral immune response by enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA) respectively. Findings: Cases were
evenly distributed between genders, with a median age of 18 (0-65)
years. The case fatality rate (CFR) for the 15 cases was 80% (12/15),
with a median survival duration of 6 (3-16) days since illness onset
among the deceased. Of the 12 (80%) primary infection cases, all had a
history of raw date palm sap (DPS) consumption within 28 days preceding
symptom onset. The median incubation period among primary cases was 11
days (range: 3-19 days), 3 days longer than that of secondary infection
cases. Survivors exhibited a longer median incubation period of 13
(11-14) days compared to fatal cases for whom it was 10 (1-19) days.
Serum samples from survivors tested by PCR were negative, indicating no
evidence of viremia on diagnosis, whereas 92% (10/11) of the fatal
cases that could be tested for serology, tested positive with their
primary diagnostic sample. Anti-NiV IgM and IgG were detectable as early
as the fourth and sixth day post-symptom onset, respectively, and as
late as the 34 th day. All survivors tested IgG
positive on diagnosis compared to only half of fatal cases.
Interpretation: The study provides critical insights into the
clinical indices, immune response, and viral detection during NiV
infection. This could be pivotal in predicting clinical outcomes and
guiding treatment strategies for NiV infection. Funding: US
CDC, Atlanta