title: Ecology of hantaviruses and their hosts in North America.
abstract: Since the 1993 discovery of a highly pathogenic hantavirus associated with the North American deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), intensive ecological studies have led to many advances in our understanding of the natural history of New World hantaviruses as it relates to human disease. Seventeen named hantaviruses have been identified in North America. Field and laboratory studies of Sin Nombre and other hantaviruses have delineated host associations, geographical distributions, mechanisms of transmission, temporal infection dynamics of these viruses in host populations, and environmental factors that influence these dynamics. Using data from these studies, preliminary predictive models of the risk of hantavirus infection to humans have been developed. Improved models using satellite-derived data are under development. Multidisciplinary collaboration, integration of field and laboratory studies, and establishment and maintenance of long-term monitoring studies will be critical to continued advancement in the understanding of hantavirus-host ecology and disease prevention in humans.
authors.affiliation: Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA. jmills@cdc.gov
authors.forename: James N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: Brian R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Amman
authors.forename: Gregory E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Glass
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003710:Demography; D005838:Genotype; D006476:Orthohantavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018778:Hantavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009656:North America / Q000453:epidemiology; D010542:Peromyscus / Q000821:virology*