Evidence of human infection by a new mammarenavirus endemic to Southeastern Asia.
Southeastern Asia is a recognised hotspot for emerging infectious diseases, many of which have an animal origin. Mammarenavirus infections contribute significantly to the human disease burden in both Africa and the Americas, but little data exists for Asia. To date only two mammarenaviruses, the widely spread lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus and the recently described Wēnzhōu virus have been identified in this region, but the zoonotic impact in Asia remains unknown. Here we report the presence of a novel mammarenavirus and of a genetic variant of the Wēnzhōu virus and provide evidence of mammarenavirus-associated human infection in Asia. The association of these viruses with widely distributed mammals of diverse species, commonly found in human dwellings and in peridomestic habitats, illustrates the potential for widespread zoonotic transmission and adds to the known aetiologies of infectious diseases for this region.
Institut Pasteur in Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.|Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, Australia.
Kim R
KR
Blasdell
Institut Pasteur in Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Veasna
V
Duong
Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
Marc
M
Eloit
Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
Fabrice
F
Chretien
Institut Pasteur in Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Sowath
S
Ly
Institut Pasteur in Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Vibol
V
Hul
Institut Pasteur in Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Vincent
V
Deubel
Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, CNRS, IRD, Université Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
Serge
0000-0003-3986-7659
S
Morand
Institut Pasteur in Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.|GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines R&D, Singapore, Singapore.
Philippe
0000-0003-1372-3008
P
Buchy
D000818:Animals; D001116:Arenaviridae / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001117:Arenaviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D001210:Asia, Southeastern / Q000453:epidemiology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D006801:Humans; D008217:Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology
D012367:RNA, Viral
Asia; arenavirus; human infection; infectious disease; microbiology; virus