title: Expansion of spatial and host range of Puumala virus in Sweden: an increasing threat for humans?
abstract: Hantaviruses are globally distributed and cause severe human disease. Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) is the most common species in Northern Europe, and the only hantavirus confirmed to circulate in Sweden, restricted to the northern regions of the country. In this study, we aimed to further add to the natural ecology of PUUV in Sweden by investigating prevalence, and spatial and host species infection patterns. Specifically, we wanted to ascertain whether PUUV was present in the natural reservoir, the bank vole (Myodes glareolus) further south than Dalälven river, in south-central Sweden, and whether PUUV can be detected in other rodent species in addition to the natural reservoir. In total, 559 animals were collected at Grimsö (59°43'N; 15°28'E), Sala (59°55'N; 16°36'E) and Bogesund (59°24'N; 18°14'E) in south-central Sweden between May 2013 and November 2014. PUUV ELISA-reactive antibodies were found both in 2013 (22/295) and in 2014 (18/264), and nine samples were confirmed as PUUV-specific by focus reduction neutralization test. Most of the PUUV-specific samples were from the natural host, the bank vole, but also from other rodent hosts, indicating viral spill-over. Finally, we showed that PUUV is present in more highly populated central Sweden.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology,Zoonosis Science Center, Uppsala University,Uppsala,Sweden.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Borg
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology,Zoonosis Science Center, Uppsala University,Uppsala,Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5629-0196
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wille
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology,Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences,SLU, Riddarhyttan,Sweden.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kjellander
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology,Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences,SLU, Riddarhyttan,Sweden.
authors.forename: U A
authors.initials: UA
authors.lastname: Bergvall
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine,Medical Microbiology, Linköping University,Linköping,Sweden.
authors.forename: P-E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Lindgren
authors.affiliation: National Veterinary Institute,SVA, Uppsala,Sweden.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chirico
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology,Zoonosis Science Center, Uppsala University,Uppsala,Sweden.
authors.forename: Å
authors.initials: Å
authors.lastname: Lundkvist
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003411:Arvicolinae; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000821:virology*; D005843:Geography; D006480:Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology; D058507:Host Specificity; D015995:Prevalence; D029262:Puumala virus / Q000502:physiology*; D012377:Rodentia; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: 
                 Bunyaviridae
              ; 
                 Myodes glareolus
              ; 
                 Puumala virus; Bank vole; Sweden; disease emergence; hantavirus; zoonosis