[Studies on epidemic hemorrhagic fever among rats in Jianghan Plian, Hubei Province, China].
Capture of rats by digging their cavities, identification of rat strains, sex and age, examination of their skin cut or damage, and detection of antigen and antibody of epidemic hemorrhagic fever virus (EHFV) were conducted in epidemic areas of epidemic hemorrhagic fever (EHF) in Jinaghan Plain, Hubei Province, to study prevalence of EHFV infection in rats. Results showed that Apodemus agarius and Rattus norvegius accounted for 69.7% and 23.6% of the total rats captured, respectively, their infection rates of EHFV were 21.8% and 30.9%, respectively. Infection rate of EHFV was significantly higher in adult rats than in sub-adult and young ones, with prevalence of 40.8%, 17.0% and 12.4%, respectively. Infection rate of EHFV was 45.9% in rats with skin cut, significantly higher than in those without it (13.9%). There was an obvious litter-clustering phenomenon in infected rats, but their litters distributed in space randomly. Serotyping of infected rats showed that Apodemus agarius mainly was in a wild rat pattern, Rattus norvegius in a domestic rat pattern, and a small number of rats were in undefined patterns. It indicated that Jinaghan Plain was a mixed epidemic area of EHF with domestic and wild rat patterns and with Apodemus agarius and Rattus norvegius as main reservoir host, and age, skin cut, and close contact with them were important factors contributing to transmit it.
Li
S
S
Department of Epidemiology, Hubei Medical University, Wuhan.
Guo
Y
Y
Mo
Y
Y
D000818:Animals; D002681:China; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D005260:Female; D006480:Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D009115:Muridae / Q000821:virology*; D051381:Rats / Q000821:virology*