EphrinB2 is the entry receptor for Nipah virus, an emergent deadly paramyxovirus

Nipah virus, first recognized in 1999, is an emerging disease that causes fatal encephalitis in humans. Its natural host is thought to be the fruit bat but it is also found in pigs and other animals. It could pose a serious threat to the pig-farming industry and there is recent evidence of human-to-human transmission. A crucial receptor that the virus relies on to infect human cells has now been identified, suggesting ways that the infection might be countered by vaccines or drugs. The virus's attachment protein binds to the ephrinB2 receptor. This receptor is critical for normal vascular developmental processes and is present in tissues targeted by Nipah virus. The enzyme EphB4 can block the entry of the virus into the cell.