Serologic and genetic identification of Peromyscus maniculatus as the primary rodent reservoir for a new hantavirus in the southwestern United States.
An outbreak of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the southwestern United States was etiologically linked to a newly recognized hantavirus. Knowledge that hantaviruses are maintained in rodent reservoirs stimulated a field and laboratory investigation of 1696 small mammals of 31 species. The most commonly captured rodent, the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), had the highest antibody prevalence (30%) to four hantavirus antigens. Antibody also was detected in 10 other species of rodent and in 1 species of rabbit. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) products of hantavirus from rodent tissues were indistinguishable from those from human HPS patients. More than 96% of the seropositive P. maniculatus were positive by RT-PCR, suggesting chronic infection. Antibody prevalences were similar among P. maniculatus trapped from Arizona (33%), New Mexico (29%), and Colorado (29%). The numeric dominance of P. maniculatus, the high prevalence of antibody, and the RT-PCR findings implicate this species as the primary rodent reservoir for a new hantavirus in the southwestern United States.
Childs
J E
JE
Viral and Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333.
Ksiazek
T G
TG
Spiropoulou
C F
CF
Krebs
J W
JW
Morzunov
S
S
Maupin
G O
GO
Gage
K L
KL
Rollin
P E
PE
Sarisky
J
J
Enscore
R E
RE
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001483:Base Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D005260:Female; D006476:Orthohantavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008297:Male; D008322:Mammals / Q000382:microbiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010542:Peromyscus / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015206:Southwestern United States
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral