Macacine alphaherpesvirus 1

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(Redirected from B virus infection)

History[edit | edit source]

  • B virus was identified in 1932.
  • Since then, only about 50 people have been documented to have B virus infections; 21 of them died.
  • Most of these people got infected after they were bitten or scratched by a macaque monkey.

Cause and Frequency[edit | edit source]

  • B virus infections in people are usually caused by macaque monkeys.
  • These kinds of monkeys are commonly infected with B virus, but they usually do not have symptoms, or have just mild disease.
  • Other primates, such as chimpanzees and capuchin monkeys, can become infected with B virus and will frequently die from these infections.
  • There have not been documented cases of such primates spreading B virus except to macaques.

Human infection[edit | edit source]

  • B virus infections in people are rare. Since B virus was identified in 1932, only 50 people have been documented to have infections; 21 of them died.
  • Most of these people got infected after they were bitten or scratched by a monkey, or when tissue or fluids from a monkey got on their broken skin, such as by needle stick or cut.
  • In 1997, a researcher died from B virus infection after bodily fluid from an infected monkey splashed into her eye.

Transmission[edit | edit source]

  • B virus can spread from infected macaque monkeys to people.
  • Macaque monkeys commonly have this virus, and it can be found in their saliva, feces (poop), urine (pee), or brain or spinal cord tissue.
  • The virus may also be found in cells coming from an infected monkey in a lab.
  • B virus can survive for hours on surfaces, particularly when moist.
  • Increasingly, free-ranging macaque monkeys infected with B virus are a common source for potentially exposing people to this virus.
  • Large colonies of these monkeys are present in some parks in Florida and Puerto Rico.

The Virus[edit | edit source]

  • B virus is an alphaherpesvirus commonly found among macaques—a genus of Old World monkeys that serve as the natural host.
  • The virus is found among rhesus macaques, pig-tailed macaques, and cynomolgus monkeys (also called crab-eating or long-tailed macaques).
  • B virus is also commonly referred to as herpes B, monkey B virus, herpesvirus simiae, and herpesvirus B.

Signs and Symptoms[edit | edit source]

Symptoms typically start within one month of being exposed to B virus, but could appear in as little as three to seven days.

The first indications of B virus infection are typically flu-like symptoms:

  • fever and chills
  • muscle ache
  • fatigue
  • headache

Other symptoms may include:

  • Shortness of breath
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Abdominal pain
  • Hiccups

Complications[edit | edit source]

As the disease progresses, the virus spreads to and causes inflammation (swelling) of the brain and spinal cord. This can lead to:

  • Neurologic and inflammatory symptoms (pain, numbness, itching) near the wound site
  • Problems with muscle coordination
  • Brain damage and severe damage to the nervous system
  • Death

Problems with breathing and death can occur one day to three weeks after symptoms appear. It may be possible for people to have mild B virus infection or no symptoms. However, there are no studies or evidence of this.

Diagnosis[edit | edit source]

  • It is critical to be diligent in recognizing symptoms and their progression to help facilitate rapid diagnose of B virus infection in an exposed person.
  • Both clinical evaluation of symptoms and laboratory testing (ideally showing antibodies or virus positive case) are needed to diagnose B virus in an exposed person.
  • Serological and virological testing are available for diagnosing B virus infection.
  • For more information, see Laboratory Testing and Diagnosis section.

Treatment[edit | edit source]

Specific exposure scenarios and the corresponding urgency for post-exposure antiviral treatment, as proposed in the Recommendations for Prevention of and Therapy for Exposure to B virus (Cercopithecine Herpesvirus 1)External, are as follows:

Treatment is recommended when:

  • Skin or mucosal exposure – with or without injury – to a high-risk source (e.g., a macaque that is ill, immunocompromised, known to be shedding virus, or has lesions compatible with B virus infection.)
  • Inadequately cleansed skin exposure (where the skin is broken) or mucosal exposure (with or without injury).
  • Laceration of the head, neck, or torso.
  • Deep puncture bite.
  • Needle stick associated with tissue or fluid from the nervous system, lesions suspicious for B virus, eyelids, or mucosa.
  • Puncture or laceration with objects (a) contaminated either with fluid from monkey oral or genital lesions or with nervous system tissues or (b) known to contain B virus.
  • A culture taken after the wound was cleansed tests positive for B virus.

Treatment should be considered when:

  • A break in the skin that has been adequately cleaned.
  • Needle stick involving blood from an ill or immunocompromised macaque.
  • Puncture or laceration occurring after exposure to (a) objects contaminated with body fluid (other than that from a lesion) or (b) a possibly infected cell culture.

Treatment is not recommended when:

  • Skin exposure in which the skin remains intact.
  • Exposure associated with non-macaque species of non-human primates, unless they were in a situation where they could have been infected by a macaque.

Antiviral Therapy[edit | edit source]

  • Recommended dosages for specific antivirals are as follows:
  • Prophylaxis for exposure to B virus
  • Valacylovir—1g by mouth every eight hours for 14 days, or
  • Acyclovir—800 mg by mouth five times daily for 14 days
  • Treatment of B virus infection
  • With no CNS symptoms
  • Acyclovir—12.5–15 mg/kg intravenously every eight hours, or
  • Ganciclovir—5 mg/kg intravenously every 12 hours
  • With CNS symptoms
  • Ganciclovir—5 mg/kg intravenously every 12 hours

Prophylaxes[edit | edit source]

Prophylaxis for exposure to B virus have been shown to effectively protect rabbits from lethal infectious doses of B virus, but no comparable studies of efficacy in humans have been possible.For more detailed information, refer to the Recommendations for Prevention of and Therapy for Exposure to B virus

Prevention[edit | edit source]

  • There are no vaccines available protect against B virus infection.
  • Experimental vaccines have been evaluated in animal models, but none are being considered for use in people.


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Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD