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A grey-headed flying fox. © Mike Lehmann, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Australian scientists have identified a new strain of the deadly Hendra virus that was the cause of a previously unexplained horse death in September 2015. The newly recognised variant, identified by the Australian veterinarian-led research project, ‘Horses as Sentinels’, had not been detected previously by routine biosecurity testing in horses. The new strain shares ~99% sequence identity with the 2015 horse case strain, and has been detected in grey-headed flying fox samples from Adelaide, South Australia, in 2013. Partial sequences of the variant have also been detected in flying foxes in other states. Grey-headed flying foxes migrate and their range includes parts of southern Australia, which previous advice classed as low risk – with some interpreting this to mean negligible risk of Hendra virus spillover. Up until now, the original strain of Hendra virus has been known to occur only within t

United statesNew south walesSouth australiaWikimedia commonsGina smithMike lehmannPeter reidEd annandQueensland department of agricultureSydney medical schoolSydney school of veterinary scienceUniversity of sydneyBiosecurity sciences laboratoryPreparedness programWestmead institute for medical researchDepartment of agriculture water