Abstract
We report the first detection of Seoul hantavirus (SEOV) in a pet rat in Sweden. SEOV-specific antibodies were detected in the pet rat blood by focus reduction neutralising test (FRNT), and SEOV RNA in lung tissue was confirmed by reverse transcription-nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) followed by sequencing. The discovery follows the recent reports of SEOV infected pet rats, as well as associated human cases of severe haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), in England and Wales.
Highlights
Hantaviruses are three-segmented, negative-stranded RNA viruses transmitted by rodents, insectivores and bats
The bank vole Myodes glareolus is the reservoir of Puumala hantavirus (PUUV), which causes nephropathia epidemica (NE), a milder form of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) that accounts for the majority of hantavirus-related disease incidence in Europe
The analyses showed that the sequence was derived from a Seoul hantavirus (SEOV) species and the newly detected strain was designated SEOV/Sweden/Rn1466/2013, or Sweden1466 for short
Summary
Hantaviruses (family Bunyaviridae) are three-segmented, negative-stranded RNA viruses transmitted by rodents, insectivores and bats. The unique finding in this study of a strain of SEOV in a Swedish pet rat, rather than in wild rats, poses a challenge for infection control and will involve a multi-disciplinary panel including medical/science experts from e.g. the Swedish Institute for Communicable Diseases (SMI), the SVA, the National Board of Health and Welfare (SoS) and the Swedish Board of Agriculture. At this time, the owner of the SEOV-infected rat is being offered clinical follow-up and all the concerned pet handlers both in Sweden and the UK have been informed of the finding and offered advice. Further studies are planned to collect evidence on the prevalence of this virus in the pet rat community, as well as in wild rats in selected geographical areas of Sweden (e.g. international harbours where rats originating from different geographical areas may be found), which will inform future risk assessment and the provision of appropriate public health guidance
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