A novel Hendra virus variant, genotype 2, was recently discovered in a horse that died after acute illness and in Pteropus flying fox tissues in Australia. We detected the variant in flying fox urine, the pathway relevant for spillover, supporting an expanded geographic range of Hendra virus risk to horses and humans.
Keywords: Hendra virus; Pteropus; bats; emerging infections; flying foxes; henipavirus; reservoir host; viruses; zoonoses.