title: Serological evidence of hantavirus infections in Malaysia.
abstract: Hantaviruses are primarily rodent-borne and transmission is by inhalation of virus-contaminated aerosols of rodent excreta, especially urine and saliva. The genus Hantavirus, family Bunyaviridae, comprises at least 14 serotypes and the symptoms of clinical illness range from mild fever to severe hemorrhagic manifestations with renal complications. Many countries in Southeast Asia are unaware of the importance of hantavirus infections and give them low priority. Malaysia, like other countries in the region, has conducted very few studies on the epidemiology of hantaviruses - and even these were conducted in the 1980s. Using a more extensive range of hantavirus antigens, we conducted a seroprevalence study of rodents and humans and found further evidence of hantavirus infections. Moreover, the data from the antibody profiles strongly suggest the presence of different hantaviruses at the study sites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: K B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Chua
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Myshrall
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Devi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zainal
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Afifi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nerome
authors.forename: Y K
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D006476:Orthohantavirus / Q000276:immunology; D018778:Hantavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D051381:Rats; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral