title: Isolation, characterization and geographic distribution of Caño Delgadito virus, a newly discovered South American hantavirus (family Bunyaviridae).
abstract: Rodents collected from the Venezuelan llanos (plains) during field studies of viral hemorrhagic fever were tested for evidence of hantavirus infection. Hantavirus antibody was found in one (7.7%) of 13 Oryzomys bicolor, one (3.4%) of 29 Rattus rattus, 10 (6.0%) of 166 Sigmodon alstoni and one (2.2%) of 45 Zygodontomys brevicauda. Hantavirus-specific RNA was detected in lung tissues from four antibody-positive rodents: two S. alstoni from Portuguesa State and one S. alstoni each from Cojedes and Barinas States. A hantavirus isolate (herein identified as VHV-574) was recovered from lung tissue from a hantavirus RNA-positive S. alstoni collected from Portuguesa State. The results of serological tests and analyses of small and medium RNA segment nucleotide sequence data indicated that VHV-574 represents a novel hantavirus (proposed name 'Caño Delgadito') that is distinct from all previously characterized hantaviruses. The results of analyses of nucleotide sequence data from the four hantavirus RNA-positive S. alstoni suggested that Caño Delgadito virus is widely distributed in the Venezuelan llanos.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Medical Branch, Department of Pathology, Center for Tropical Diseases, Galveston 77555-0609, USA.
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Fulhorst
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Monroe
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Salas
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Duno
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Utrera
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Ksiazek
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Nichol
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: de Manzione
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tovar
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Tesh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006476:Orthohantavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008168:Lung / Q000821:virology; D009115:Muridae / Q000821:virology; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D012377:Rodentia / Q000821:virology; D016205:Sigmodontinae / Q000821:virology; D013020:South America
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral