Transmission electron micrograph (TEM) revealed ultrastructural details of a Nipah virus nucleocapsid. Nipah virus is a member of the family Paramyxoviridae. Nipah virus was initially isolated in 1999 upon examining samples from an outbreak of encephalitis and respiratory illness among adult men in Malaysia and Singapore. Infection with Nipah virus was associated with an encephalitis characterized by fever and drowsiness and more serious central nervous system disease, such as coma, seizures, and inability to maintain breathing. Illness with Nipah virus begins with 3-14 days of fever and headache, followed by drowsiness and disorientation characterized by mental confusion. These signs and symptoms can progress to coma within 24-48 hours. Nipah virus is particularly deadly, killing up to 70% of the people it infects. Health officials are concerned about it potentially becoming an emerging threat as an agent of biological terrorism. Magnification @168,000x.