Model predicts bat species with the potential to spread deadly Nipah virus in India

Since its discovery in 1999, Nipah virus has been reported almost yearly in Southeast Asia, with Bangladesh and India being the hardest hit. In a new study, published today in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, scientists used machine learning to identify bat species with the potential to host Nipah virus, with a focus on India—the site of a 2018 outbreak. Four […]

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New tick species spreading in the US

(HealthDay)—The first new tick species to appear in the United States in 50 years is spreading rapidly in the east and has been confirmed in seven states and the suburbs of New York City. In its home range, the Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) carries a virus that kills 15 percent of its victims, but is considered a greater threat […]

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