# New parajeilongviruses detected in bats but not in humans: assays for screening and diagnostic purposes

## TL;DR

Researchers developed PCR assays to detect zoonotic paramyxoviruses and found two new parajeilongviruses in bat samples from Kenya.

## Contribution

Development of PCR assays for paramyxovirus screening and discovery of new parajeilongviruses in bats.

## Key findings

- Nested-pan-PCR and RT-qPCR assays effectively screened for paramyxoviruses in human and bat samples.
- Two new parajeilongviruses were identified in Angolan free-tailed bat samples from Kenya.
- No paramyxoviruses were detected in human samples from Finland and Kenya.

## Abstract

To enhance preparedness against existing and new zoonotic viruses such as Hendra virus, Nipah virus, and other paramyxoviruses, screening tools and efficient diagnostic methods are needed. Here, we established a conventional nested pan-PCR assay using previously described primers for screening of human and bat samples. Additionally, we developed specific real-time RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) assays to detect Nipah virus and Hendra virus genotypes 1 and 2. Both PCR methods demonstrated good performance and could be used for screening of paramyxoviruses. Human serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples from 558 Finnish patients and 60 serum samples from Kenyan patients were screened using the nested-pan-PCR assay, and all were negative. In addition, we screened 340 synanthropic bat samples collected during 2021 and 2023 from Kenya, resulting in the discovery of two parajeilongviruses in Angolan free-tailed bat (Mops condylurus) samples.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00705-025-06520-1.