Nipah virus (NiV) is an enveloped, single-stranded negative sense RNA virus that is a prototype member of the genus Henipavirus in the family Paramyxoviridae. NiV is a zoonotic virus that emerged in Malaysia and Singapore in 1998-1999 causing a large outbreak of encephalitis with high mortality in people and also respiratory disease in pigs which served as amplifying hosts. The known natural reservoir hosts of NiV are several species of pteropid fruit bats.
