Researchers at an Auburn University lab collected a mole-like animal that was found with a new species of henipavirus named after the Alabama town where the specimen came from, according to the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Dr. Wendy Hood with The Hood Lab told AL.com her team collected the northern short-tailed shrew that other researchers used to detect the novel Camp Hill virus, named after the Tallapoosa County town where the animal was taken from.

Dr. Rhys Parry, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Queensland’s School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences in Australia and the lead author of the article published this month, wrote that further study is needed to gauge the Camp Hill virus’ danger to humans.

But Parry noted that other henipaviruses have high mortality rates when they have been detected in humans, including the Hendra and Nipah viruses.

First identified in Australia, the Hendra virus caused outbreaks with mortality rates up to 70%, Parry wrote, while Nipah virus outbreaks in Southeast Asia had fatality rates between 40% and 75%.

“Given the high case-fatality rates associated with henipaviruses, detection of CHV [Camp Hill virus] in North America raises concerns about past and potential future spillover events,” Parry wrote.

“Further investigation is needed into the potential for human infection and strategies for mitigating transmission,” the researcher continued. “Our findings help elucidate the prevalence and geographic distribution of CHV in [northern short-tail] shrews.

“The exact transmission mechanisms of shrew henipaviruses remain unclear, but direct contact with infected animals or their” urine or feces “poses a risk to humans,” Parry wrote.