Continuing Orthohantavirus Circulation in Deer Mice in Western Montana.

Brandi N Williamson,Carson T Telford,Heinz Feldmann,Trenton Bushmaker,Kimberly Meade-White,Kyle Rosenke,Kristin Boardman,Robert J Fischer,Dania M Figueroa Acosta,Jonathan E Schulz

doi:10.3390/v13061006

Brandi N Williamson, Carson T Telford + Show 8 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/v13061006

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Abstract

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is an often-fatal disease caused by New World hantaviruses, such as Sin Nombre orthohantavirus (SNV). In the US, >800 cases of HPS have been confirmed since it was first discovered in 1993, of which 43 were reported from the state of Montana. The primary cause of HPS in the US is SNV, which is primarily found in the reservoir host Peromyscus maniculatus (deer mouse). The reservoir host covers most of the US, including Montana, where multiple studies found SNV in local deer mouse populations. This study aimed to check the prevalence of SNV in the deer mice at popular recreation sites throughout the Bitterroot Valley in Western Montana as compared to previous studies in western Montana. We found high prevalence (up to 20%) of deer mice positive for SNV RNA in the lungs. We were unable to obtain a SNV tissue culture isolate from the lungs but could passage SNV from lung tissue into naïve deer mice. Our findings demonstrate continuing circulation of SNV in western Montana.

Highlights

Valley is currently at similar levels as found in previous studies in western Montana two decades ago [9,10,14]. This finding remains of public health interest but is not surprising given many surrounding counties in western Montana have reported evidence of Sin Nombre orthohantavirus (SNV) in deer mice or have had locally acquired Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) cases in the past [9,10,14,18]
A high number of SNV RNA positive deer mice were found within specific sites in the Bitterroot Valley, most the Alta area with more than 20% of the mice actively positive for SNV
The Bitterroot Valley SNV strains are distinct with mutations occurring in all segments but a deeper dive into the SNV genomic variation by in vitro and in vivo studies would be needed to decipher if these hantaviruses represent any distinct biological phenotype

Summary

Introduction

Hantaviruses are rodent-borne, tri-segmented RNA viruses in the genus Orthohantavirus, family Hantaviridae, order Bunyavirales [1,2]. They have been classified as either New or Old World hantaviruses [2]. HPS was first described during the 1993 outbreak of the emerging SNV in the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States [3]. It was later determined that cases of HPS caused by SNV had occurred as early as 1959 [5]. >800 HPS cases have been reported in the US (CDC Viral Special Pathogens Unit, personal communication), the majority believed to be caused by SNV [6]

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