A 19 Year Analysis of Small Mammals Associated with Human Hantavirus Cases in Chile.

Torres-Pérez Torres-Pérez,Boric-Bargetto Boric-Bargetto,Marquet Marquet,Parra Parra,Palma Palma,Vial Vial,Mertz Mertz,Ferrés Ferrés,Martínez-Valdebenito Martínez-Valdebenito,Pavletic Pavletic

doi:10.3390/v11090848

Abstract

Small mammals present in areas where hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) cases had occurred in central and southern Chile were captured and analyzed to evaluate the abundance of rodents and seroprevalence rates of antibodies to Andes orthohantavirus (ANDV). Sampling areas ranged from the Coquimbo to Aysén regions (30–45° S approx.) regions. Ninety-two sites in peridomestic and countryside areas were evaluated in 19 years of sampling. An antibody against ANDV was detected by strip immunoassay in 58 of 1847 specimens captured using Sherman traps. Of the eleven species of rodents sampled, Abrothrix olivacea, Oligoryzomys longicaudatus and Abrothrix hirta were the most frequently trapped. O. longicaudatus had the highest seropositivity rate, and by logistic regression analysis, O. longicaudatus of at least 60 g had 80% or higher probability to be seropositive. Sex, age and wounds were significantly related to seropositivity only for O. longicaudatus. Across administrative regions, the highest seropositivity was found in the El Maule region (34.8–36.2° S), and the highest number of HCPS cases was registered in the Aysén region. Our results highlight the importance of long term and geographically extended studies, particularly for highly fluctuating pathogens and their reservoirs, to understand the implications of the dynamics and transmission of zoonotic diseases in human populations.

Highlights

Emerging zoonotic diseases are a major concern for public health systems, producing new or previously unrecognized diseases, or rapidly increasing incidence of infection in the human population.Ecological, environmental changes or changes in human demographics and behavior, which increase chances of contact with reservoirs, are the main factors responsible for these emergences [1]
During nineteen years of sampling (2000–2018), ninety-two sites associated with human hantavirus cases between Coquimbo and Aysén (30–45◦ S approx.) regions in Chile were studied for the presence of rodents (Figure 1)
Our study assessed how ecology and geography influence host and viral dynamics in areas associated with hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) cases in Chile

Summary

Introduction

Emerging zoonotic diseases are a major concern for public health systems, producing new or previously unrecognized diseases, or rapidly increasing incidence of infection in the human population. Ecological, environmental changes or changes in human demographics and behavior, which increase chances of contact with reservoirs, are the main factors responsible for these emergences [1]. RNA viruses represent an important group of emerging human pathogens, including several harbored by animal reservoirs [2]. Several orthohantavirus strains are recognized as human pathogens [4,5,6]. Orthohantavirus infections became a concern in the Americas in 1993 after detecting an outbreak of a previously unrecognized syndrome [7]. The disease (hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome, HCPS), was produced by infection with the newly-discovered

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