title: Temporal and spatial host abundance and prevalence of Andes hantavirus in southern Argentina.
abstract: Andes virus (AND) is a hantavirus hosted by the sigmodontine rodent Oligoryzomys longicaudatus in southern Argentina, where it is responsible for most cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Our study provides data about the spatial variation in abundance of the rodent host of AND hantavirus. We report results of a longitudinal study performed in a locality of the Andean region of Chubut Province. From November 2003 (spring) to July 2006 (winter), O. longicaudatus was the most common species captured (63%) and it showed significant differences in abundance among habitats and seasons. Most antibody-positive rodents were O. longicaudatus (9.2%), followed by A. longipilis (3.6%) and A. olivaceus (1.5%). The highest number of antibody-positive animals was observed for males that belonged to the heaviest mass classes. Antibody-positive O. longicaudatus were more abundant in brush habitats. We found low richness of rodents and abundance of O. longicaudatus in areas affected by anthropogenic activity. The infection seems to be regionally persistent, but the risk to humans in a landscape would be localized. To develop accurate models for predicting HPS outbreaks, further research is needed to characterize rodent movement patterns across the landscape.
authors.affiliation: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Polop
authors.forename: María C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Provensal
authors.forename: Noemí
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pini
authors.forename: Silvana C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Levis
authors.forename: José W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Priotto
authors.forename: Delia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Enría
authors.forename: Gladys E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Calderón
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Jaime J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Polop
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D004463:Ecology; D017753:Ecosystem; D005260:Female; D006476:Orthohantavirus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018778:Hantavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D011156:Population Density; D015995:Prevalence; D051381:Rats; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*; D012377:Rodentia / Q000821:virology*; D012621:Seasons
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral