Surface Glycoproteins of an African Henipavirus Induce Syncytium Formation in a Cell Line Derived from an African Fruit Bat,

Serological screening and detection of genomic RNA indicates that members of the genusHenipavirus are present not only in Southeast Asia but also in African fruit bats. We demonstrate that the surface glycoproteins F and G of an African henipavirus (M74) induce syncytium formation in a kidney cell line derived from an African fruit bat,Hypsignathus monstrosus. Despite a less broad cell tropism, the M74 glycoproteins show functional similarities to glycoproteins of Nipah virus. Henipaviruses are among the most pathogenic viruses causingdisease in humans. Two members of the genus Henipavirus are Hendra virus (HeV) and Nipah virus (NiV), which were first reported in 1994 and 1998, respectively (1).HeVhad been isolated from diseased horses in Australia and NiV from pigs in Malaysia (2, 3). Both viruses can cause severe encephalitis in humans with case fatality rates of 40 to 100%. Natural reservoir hosts for heni-paviruses are flying foxes of the genus Pteropus (4, 5). The geo-graphic range of pteropid bats comprises Australia and countries of Southeast Asia (6). A related virus, cedar virus (CedPV), caus-ing no clinical disease in animal infections, has been isolated from Pteropus alecto in Australia (7). Evidence for henipaviruses in Af