Health

Toddler, 2, dies from rare pigeon virus — only the 5th person to do so

By
Social Links for Adriana Diaz
Published Dec. 7, 2023, 3:43 p.m. ET

A toddler died after catching a rare virus typically only affecting pigeons — and she’s only the fifth person known to have died from the illness.

The unnamed 2-year-old girl was brought to Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick, New South Wales, after three weeks of nausea, vomiting and cold-like symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

Just six months before the onset of symptoms, she had finished her second round of chemotherapy to manage her pre-B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Her condition continued to worsen, and over four days, she developed febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome (FIRES) and began experiencing epileptic seizures.

Doctors ran a multitude of tests, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), autoimmune evaluations, genetic abnormalities assessments, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests that checked for bacterial, fungal, viral or mycobacterial pathogens, all of which showed nothing concerning.

rock pigeon
An unnamed 2-year-old girl from Australia died after falling to Newcastle disease, a rare virus usually only caught by pigeons. Getty Images/iStockphoto

The young girl was given antiviral drugs, antibiotics and anti-seizure medications to help treat brain swelling and reduce discomfort, but nothing eased her symptoms as her brain continued to swell.

She died 27 days after being admitted to the hospital.

After she passed, medical tests revealed that she carried a severe strain of avian paramyxovirus-1 APMV-1, which causes Newcastle disease.

Newcastle disease is a highly contagious and fatal viral disease affecting birds and poultry — typically pigeons — and named after the city where it was first identified in 1926.

Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain of the 2-year-old child with avian paramyxovirus type 1 infection was captured 16 days after hospital admission. It shows predominantly left frontal and insular T2 signal hyperintensity — or lesions — evolving into laminar necrosis or brain injury (white arrow) and hyperintensity of deep gray-matter structures (red arrows).
Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain of the 2-year-old child with avian paramyxovirus type 1 infection was captured 16 days after hospital admission. It shows predominantly left frontal and insular T2 signal hyperintensity — or lesions — evolving into laminar necrosis or brain injury (white arrow) and hyperintensity of deep gray-matter structures (red arrows). CDC
Small flock of grey pigeons sit on roof on a sunny afternoon
The first documented case of APMV-1 infection in humans was reported in Australia in 1942. Getty Images/iStockphoto

Medical experts concluded that the toddler died from brain swelling caused by the infection, which began in her nose or mouth from possible exposure to infected pigeon feces or fluids.

The first documented case of APMV-1 infection in humans was reported in Australia in 1942.

It was reported that she had not knowingly been exposed to any animals or illnesses or even traveled.

Since then, 485 human cases have been reported globally, with more than half logged in the United Kingdom, and until now four human deaths in the Netherlands, United States, China and France.

In the rare cases it does infect humans, it usually only causes conjunctivitis, commonly known as “pink eye.”

This is the first reported association between FIRES and avian viruses.

Experts note that this case highlights the connections with leukemia treatment, infectious triggers and neurological complications, especially in young patients.