title: Characterization of a new Puumala virus genotype associated with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome.
abstract: Hantavirus serotype Puumala (PUUV) is the etiologic agent of Nephropathia epidemica (NE), a mild variant of Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) in Europe, with lethality rates up to 1% among human patients. The serotype PUUV is composed of numerous geographically restricted strains forming a great number of phylogeographic lineages, sublineages, variants, and clusters. We describe a new, geographically and phylogenetically well-defined pathogenic PUUV sublineage in Southwest Germany (strain Heidelberg/hu) originated from an HFRS patient. The genetic analysis of PUUV strain Heidelberg/hu may contribute in future to better diagnostics, the development of vaccines, and the understanding of the factors that determine hantavirus pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Klinikum der Universität Heidelberg, Sektion Nephrologie Im Neuenheimer Feld 162, D-69120 Heidelberg, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: Udo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bahr
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zeier
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Muranyi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D005838:Genotype; D005858:Germany; D006480:Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D029262:Puumala virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D016415:Sequence Alignment