Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in Argentina, 1995-2008.
We report a large case series of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in Argentina that was confirmed by laboratory results from 1995 through 2008. The geographic and temporal distribution of cases by age, sex, fatality rate, and risk factors for HPS was analyzed. A total of 710 cases were unequally distributed among 4 of the 5 Argentine regions. Different case-fatality rates were observed for each affected region, with a maximum rate of 40.5%. The male-to-female ratio for HPS case-patients was 3.7:1.0; the case-fatality rate was significantly higher for women. Agriculture-associated activities were most commonly reported as potential risk factors, especially among men of working age. Although HPS cases occurred predominantly in isolation, we identified 15 clusters in which strong relationships were observed between members, which suggests ongoing but limited person-to-person transmission.
Administracion Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud Dr. C. G. Malbran, Buenos Aires, Argentina. pmartinez@anlis.gov.ar
Valeria P
VP
Martinez
Carla M
CM
Bellomo
Maria Luisa
ML
Cacace
Paola
P
Suarez
Liliana
L
Bogni
Paula J
PJ
Padula
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D016358:Contact Tracing; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D005260:Female; D006476:Orthohantavirus; D018804:Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors