title: Two cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in Randolph County, West Virginia: a coincidence of time and place?
abstract: Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is caused by an infection with viruses of the genus Hantavirus in the western hemisphere. Rodent hosts of hantaviruses are present throughout the United States. In July 2004, two HPS case-patients were identified in Randolph County, WV: a wildlife science graduate student working locally and a Randolph County resident. We interviewed family members and colleagues, reviewed medical records, and conducted environmental studies at likely exposure sites. Small mammals were trapped, and blood, urine, and tissue samples were submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for laboratory analyses. These analyses confirmed that both patients were infected with Monongahela virus, a Sin Nombre hantavirus variant hosted by the Cloudland deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus nubiterrae. Other than one retrospectively diagnosed case in 1981, these are the first HPS cases reported in West Virginia. These cases emphasize the need to educate the public throughout the United States regarding risks and prevention measures for hantavirus infection.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA. bwg5@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Julie R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Sinclair
authors.forename: Darin S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.forename: Joel M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Montgomery
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pavlin
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McCombs
authors.forename: James N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Comer
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Ksiazek
authors.forename: Pierre E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Rollin
authors.forename: Stuart T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Nichol
authors.forename: Angela J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: Christina L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Hutson
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: Jane A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rooney
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D004463:Ecology; D018804:Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010542:Peromyscus / Q000821:virology; D010802:Phylogeny; D029261:Sin Nombre virus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*