title: Prospective evaluation of household contacts of persons with hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome in chile.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Andes virus (ANDV) infection, which has a case fatality rate of 37% in Chile, often occurs in household clusters and may be transmitted from person to person.
  
  
  METHODS
  To determine the incidence and risk factors for additional household cases, we conducted a prospective study among recent household contacts of persons with hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) in Chile, including testing of serum for anti-hantavirus antibodies and blood cells for ANDV RNA by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We enrolled 76 index case patients and 476 household contacts, of whom 16 (3.4%) developed HCPS; 32.6% of 92 cases occurred in household clusters. The risk of HCPS was 17.6% among sex partners of index case patients, versus 1.2% among other household contacts (P<.001). Person-to-person transmission was definite in 3, probable in 9, and possible in 2 of the 16 additional household case patients. We detected ANDV RNA by RT-PCR in peripheral blood cells 5-15 days before the onset of symptoms or the appearance of anti-hantavirus antibodies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In recent household contacts of persons with HCPS in Chile, the risk of HCPS was greatest among sex partners. Among the household contacts who developed HCPS, viremia preceded the onset of symptoms and the appearance of anti-hantavirus antibodies by up to 2 weeks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Virology Laboratory, Pontificia Universidad Catolica, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Marcela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferres
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vial
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marco
authors.forename: Lia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yanez
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Godoy
authors.forename: Constanza
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hjelle
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Delgado
authors.forename: Sang-Joon
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Gregory J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Mertz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D016358:Contact Tracing; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006476:Orthohantavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018804:Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012307:Risk Factors; D014766:Viremia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral