Abstract
Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is a public health problem in Vladivostok city, Russia. From 1997 to 2019, a study of hantaviruses in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus), a natural reservoir of Seoul virus (SEOV), and in HFRS patients was conducted. We demonstrated the presence of SEOV in the local population of Norway rats and detected SEOV in 10, Amur virus (AMRV) in 4 and Hantaan virus (HTNV) in 1 out of 15 HFRS patients. Genetic analysis based on partial S, M and L segment sequences revealed that the Russian SEOV strains were related most closely to strains from Cambodia and Vietnam. We postulate that the SEOV strains found in the port city of Vladivostok have been spread from South-East Asia as a result of distribution of rats during standard shipping trade activities. Moreover, we suggest that city residents may have acquired AMRV and HTNV infection during visits to rural areas.
Highlights
Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is endemic around the world
The results of genetic analysis of Seoul virus (SEOV) strains from rats and HFRS patients over two decades demonstrate the high stability of SEOV strains circulating in Vladivostok city
The complete identity of the partial S segment sequences from Vladivostok with those from Cambodia and Vietnam for five strains isolated during 10 years leads us to define the origin of the virus and its phylogenetic placement into lineage 7, joining strains from Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore and imported strains in France and Belgium [5, 8]
Summary
Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is endemic around the world. The disease is caused by viruses belonging to the genus Orthohantaviruses, that includes Hantaan virus (HTNV), Seoul virus (SEOV), Dobrava/Belgrade virus (DOBV), Puumala virus (PUUV) and Tula virus (TULV) [1, 2]. SEOV is the only hantavirus with a worldwide distribution: Asia (South Korea, Japan, China, Indonesia, Cambodia, Singapore, Vietnam), both Americas (USA, Brazil, Argentina), Africa (Egypt), Eurasia (Russia), and Europe (France, Belgium, United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Sweden) [3]. SEOV is carried by wild Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) and is classified as causing mild to moderate clinical forms of HFRS. It has been suggested that, unlike other hantavirus species, which followed natural on-land migrations of their hosts, the main reservoir of SEOV, Norway rats, is omnipresent due to global trade and human migration [6, 7]. SEOV strains from France and Belgium do not show geographic clustering but are closely related to strains from Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, and Indonesia [5, 8, 9]
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