According to the CDC, China has announced the first human infection case with Monkey B virus (BV) after a Beijing-based veterinarian was confirmed with the virus a month after dissecting two dead monkeys in early March.
In April, the 53-year-old male vet, who worked at a non-human primate research institute, began to experience early-onset symptoms of nausea and vomiting.
Researchers collected cerebrospinal fluid from the patient in mid-April for next-generation sequencing, and the results suggested a possible alphaherpesvirus infection. They also collected a variety of specimens, including blister fluid, blood, nasal swab, throat swab, and plasma, in order to better identify the etiological agent.
The samples were sent to China’s CDC’s National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention (IVDC). The IVDC performed four rounds of RT-PCR to detect BV, VZV, monkeypox virus, and orthopoxvirus, but the sample only tested positive for BV.
It was stated that there had previously been no fatal or even clinically evident BV infections in China. Thus the veterinarian’s case is the first human infection case with BV identified in China.
Image source: Dnaindia.com
