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Volume 31, Number 12—December 2025

Dispatch

Bat Reovirus as Cause of Acute Respiratory Disease and Encephalitis in Humans, Bangladesh, 2022–2023

Sharmin Sultana1, Ariful Islam1, James Ng, Sunil Kumar Dubey, Manjur Hossain Khan, Cheng Guo, Mohammed Ziaur Rahman, Joel M. Montgomery, Syed Moinuddin Satter, Tahmina Shirin, W. Ian Lipkin, Lisa Hensley2, and Nischay Mishra2Comments to Author 
Author affiliation: Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), Dhaka, Bangladesh (S. Sultana, A. Islam, M. Hossain Khan, T. Shirin); Gulbali Research Institute, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia (A. Islam); Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA (J. Ng, S. Kumar Dubey, C. Guo, W.I. Lipkin, N. Mishra);icddr,b, Dhaka (M.Z. Rahman, S. Moinuddin Satter); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (J.M. Montgomery); National Bio- and Agro-defense Facility, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Manhattan, Kansas, USA (L. Hensley)

Main Article

Table

Characteristics of patients in study of bat reovirus as cause of acute respiratory disease and encephalitis in humans, Bangladesh, 2022–2023*

Geographic and clinical data Patient identification no.
BDB047 BDB051 BDB052 BDB113 BDB040†
Age, y/sex 65/M 17/F 65/M 2/M 56/M
District Rajbari Faridpur Rajbari Khulna Sirajganj
Diagnosis at admission Encephalitis Encephalitis Encephalitis Febrile convulsions Encephalitis
Symptom onset date
 2022 Dec 27
 2023 Jan 3
 2023 Jan 5
 2023 Jan 2
 2023 Mar 31
Date palm sap consumption Y Y Y Y Y
Frequency, no. times 1 4 1 1 1
Date first consumed
 2022 Dec 14
 2023 Jan 1
 2022 Dec 27
 2022 Dec 31
 2023 Apr 4
Throat swab collection date
 2022 Dec 29
 2023 Jan 3
 2023 Jan 7
 2023 Jan 2
 2023 Apr 6
Hospitalization data
Duration of hospital stay, d 9 2 9 8 14
Symptons at admission
Fever Y Y Y Y Y
Difficulty in breathing Y N N N N
Disorientation Y Y Y N Y
Vomiting N N Y N N
Diarrhea N N Y N N
Altered mental status Y N Y N Y
Headache N Y Y N Y
Stiff neck Y N N N Y
Convulsions N N N Y N
Unconscious Y N N Y N
Salivation N N Y N N
Mental status‡ Moderate Mild Moderate Moderate Mild
Neurologic details, motor Abnormal gait movements Mild, abnormal tone Moderate; abnormal gait, movements Moderate; abnormal gait, movements Normal
qPCR and virus culture
PRV viral load, Ct 24.50 19.17 30.48 33.40 Undetected
Positive virus culture Y Y N Y N
Discharge health status
 Alive
 Alive
 Alive
 Alive
 Alive
Telehealth followup§
Health status Alive Alive Alive Alive Dead
Date of follow 2024 May 21 2024 May 21 2024 May 21 2024 May 21 2024 Oct 30
Condition recorded Difficulty walking; weakness, disorientation, occasional respiratory distress Fully recovered; healthy Generalized weakness and musculoskeletal pain Fully recovered; healthy Died in August 2024

*Ct, cycle threshold; PRV, Pteropine orthoreovirus. †Patient had prior history of mental disorder and other cognitive disabilities before the onset of Nipah virus–like illness in April 2023. He also consumed date palm sap while hospitalized. The patient later died in August 2024 due to unexplained neurological disease. ‡Moderate: lethargic, decreased response; mild: confused, disoriented, or agitated. §Telehealth followup was conducted >15 mo after hospital discharge.

Main Article

1These first authors contributed equally to this article.

2These last authors contributed equally to this article.

Page created: November 24, 2025
Page updated: December 23, 2025
Page reviewed: December 23, 2025
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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