Hendra Virus

**Semantic type:** Virus

**Definition:** A species of enveloped and pleomorphic viruses in the Paramyxoviridae family and Henipavirus genus. The genome is composed of non-segmented, negative-sense, single-stranded RNA. Hendra viruses are found naturally in Pteropid fruit bats, and are zoonotic pathogens in domestic animals (mainly in horses) and humans. Hendra viruses cause respiratory diseases, meningitis and fatal encephalitis in humans.

**Synonyms:** - HENDRA VIRUS