Overview
- The peer-reviewed study in Nature Microbiology found CMNV genetic material in eye tissue from about 70 patients who had anterior uveitis with persistent high eye pressure.
- Patients in the cohort showed immune signals that match exposure to CMNV, yet the authors say the virus has not been confirmed as the direct cause of disease.
- Lab work indicates the shrimp- and fish-borne nodavirus can infect mammalian cells and damage eyes in animal models.
- Risk factors in the reports include eating raw or undercooked seafood and handling fish or shellfish without protection, with no sign of person-to-person spread and thorough cooking considered safe.
- Detections and aquaculture outbreaks are concentrated in China and parts of Asia, there is no international health alert, and Mexico reports no confirmed cases while maintaining surveillance.