Hantavirus infection and habitat associations among rodent populations in agroecosystems of Panama: implications for human disease risk.
Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), which is caused by infection with Choclo virus, is uncommon in Panama, yet seropositivity among rural residents is as high as 60%. To clarify the environmental risk factors favoring rodent-to-human transmission, we tested serum from 3,067 rodents captured over a five-year period for antibodies against recombinant N protein of hantavirus by enzyme immunoassay and strip immunoblot. Among 220 seropositive rodents, Oligoryzomys fulvescens, the reservoir of Choclo virus, had the highest overall seroprevalence (23.5%); more abundant rodents (Zygodontomys brevicauda and Sigmodon hirsutus) had lower seroprevalences. In the mixed (combined modern and traditional) productive agroecosystem, the highest seroprevalence was among O. fulvescens captured in residences and in crops grown within 40 meters of a residence, with significantly lower seroprevalence in adjacent pasture and non-productive vegetation. Thus, crop habitats may serve as refugia for invasion into adjacent human residences and suggests several interventions to reduce human infection.
Armién
Aníbal G
AG
Department of Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55108, USA. armie001@umn.edu
Armién
Blas
B
Koster
Frederick
F
Pascale
Juan M
JM
Avila
Mario
M
Gonzalez
Publio
P
de la Cruz
Manuel
M
Zaldivar
Yamitzel
Y
Mendoza
Yaxelis
Y
Gracia
Fernando
F
Hjelle
Brian
B
Lee
Sang-Joon
SJ
Yates
Terry L
TL
Salazar-Bravo
Jorge
J
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000821:virology; D017753:Ecosystem; D005260:Female; D018778:Hantavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010176:Panama; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012377:Rodentia / Q000821:virology*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000821:virology; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000821:virology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral