Genetic diversity of Nipah virus in Bangladesh

•The study added information about the genetic diversity and molecular characterization of Nipah virus (NiV) strains, both from bats and humans in Bangladesh.•This study provides molecular and methodological information for the early detection of NiV in the environmental samples to assess its epidemic potential in humans. It will also help in understanding the ecology of NiV.•The study revealed that the strains of NiV have been continuously evolving and NiV-BD genotype diverged from its ancestral during 1995 and formed two sublineages, NiV-BD 1 and 2. The occurrence of any particular sublineage of NiV strains was not limited to a specific outbreak region.