title: Serological survey of hantavirus in rodents in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
abstract: We conducted a serological survey to determine the presence of hantavirus infection in rodents in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais as well as to identify and characterize associated factors. Rodents were captured using Sherman live-capture traps set in rural and peri-urban environments. A total of 611 rodents were captured. There was a higher trap success in peri-urban areas (26.3%) and a higher prevalence of antibodies among rodents captured in rural areas (2.9%). Necromys lasiurus was the most common species (42.2%) and the more frequently infected (4.6%). One Calomys tener (1/141; 0.7%) and one Calomys sp. (1/14; 7.1%) were also positive for the hantavirus infection. In N. lasiurus, antibody prevalence correlated with population density (p < 0.01), age class (p = 0.003) and presence of scars (p = 0.02). The data confirm that horizontal transmission is the main mechanism that maintains the virus in nature. The higher seropositivity in N. lasiurus is consistent with genetic studies that associate this species with an Araraquara virus reservoir; the seropositivity of C. tener and Calomys sp. may indicate the occurrence of spillover infection or the presence of other circulating hantaviruses.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Controle de Zoonoses de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil. jeanlimongi@gmail.com
authors.forename: Jean Ezequiel
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Limongi
authors.forename: Fernando Guimarães
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: Joel Batista
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Peres
authors.forename: Akemi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Ivani Bisordi
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Renato Pereira
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: Rogério Melo Costa
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Luiz Eloy
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Pereira
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000145:classification / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D006476:Orthohantavirus / Q000276:immunology*; D018778:Hantavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D011156:Population Density; D011247:Pregnancy; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*; D012377:Rodentia / Q000145:classification / Q000821:virology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral