Population ecology of hantavirus rodent hosts in southern Brazil

Socioecological vulnerability and the risk of zoonotic disease emergence in Brazil

In developing countries, outbreaks of zoonotic diseases (ZDs) result from intertwined ecological, socioeconomic, and demographic processes that shape conditions for (i) increased contact between vulnerable human population and wildlife in areas undergoing environmental degradation and (ii) the rapid geographic spread of infections across socially vulnerable regions. In Brazil, recent increases in environmental and social vulnerabilities, amplified by economic and political crises, are potential triggers for outbreaks. We discuss Brazilian features that favor outbreaks and show a novel quantitative method for zoonotic risk assessment. Using data on nine ZDs from 2001 to 2019, we found that the most significant causal variables were vegetation cover and city remoteness. Furthermore, 8 of 27 states presented low-level risk of ZD outbreaks. Given the ZD-bushmeat connection, we identified central hunted mammals that should be surveilled to prevent spillover events. The current challenge is to coordinate intersectoral collaboration for effective One Health management in megadiverse countries with high social vulnerability and growing environmental degradation like Brazil.

Impact of Predator Exclusion and Habitat on Seroprevalence of New World Orthohantavirus Harbored by Two Sympatric Rodents within the Interior Atlantic Forest

Understanding how perturbations to trophic interactions influence virus-host dynamics is essential in the face of ongoing biodiversity loss and the continued emergence of RNA viruses and their associated zoonoses. Herein, we investigated the role of predator exclusion on rodent communities and the seroprevalence of hantaviruses within the Reserva Natural del Bosque Mbaracayú (RNBM), which is a protected area of the Interior Atlantic Forest (IAF). In the IAF, two sympatric rodent reservoirs, Akodon montensis and Oligoryzomys nigripes, harbor Jaborá and Juquitiba hantavirus (JABV, JUQV), respectively. In this study, we employed two complementary methods for predator exclusion: comprehensive fencing and trapping/removal. The goal of exclusion was to preclude the influence of predation on small mammals on the sampling grids and thereby potentially reduce rodent mortality. Following baseline sampling on three grid pairs with different habitats, we closed the grids and began predator removal. By sampling three habitat types, we controlled for habitat-specific effects, which is important for hantavirus-reservoir dynamics in neotropical ecosystems. Our six-month predator exclusion experiment revealed that the exclusion of terrestrial mammalian predators had little influence on the rodent community or the population dynamics of A. montensis and O. nigripes. Instead, fluctuations in species diversity and species abundances were influenced by sampling session and forest degradation. These results suggest that seasonality and landscape composition play dominant roles in the prevalence of hantaviruses in rodent reservoirs in the IAF ecosystem.

Key Factors That Enable the Pandemic Potential of RNA Viruses and Inter-Species Transmission: A Systematic Review

Viruses play a primary role as etiological agents of pandemics worldwide. Although there has been progress in identifying the molecular features of both viruses and hosts, the extent of the impact these and other factors have that contribute to interspecies transmission and their relationship with the emergence of diseases are poorly understood. The objective of this review was to analyze the factors related to the characteristics inherent to RNA viruses accountable for pandemics in the last 20 years which facilitate infection, promote interspecies jump, and assist in the generation of zoonotic infections with pandemic potential. The search resulted in 48 research articles that met the inclusion criteria. Changes adopted by RNA viruses are influenced by environmental and host-related factors, which define their ability to adapt. Population density, host distribution, migration patterns, and the loss of natural habitats, among others, have been associated as factors in the virus-host interaction. This review also included a critical analysis of the Latin American context, considering its diverse and unique social, cultural, and biodiversity characteristics. The scarcity of scientific information is striking, thus, a call to local institutions and governments to invest more resources and efforts to the study of these factors in the region is key.

Mixed Effects of Habitat Degradation and Resources on Hantaviruses in Sympatric Wild Rodent Reservoirs within a Neotropical Forest

Understanding the ecology of rodent-borne hantaviruses is critical to assessing the risk of spillover to humans. Longitudinal surveys have suggested that hantaviral prevalence in a given host population is tightly linked to rodent ecology and correlates with changes in the species composition of a rodent community over time and/or habitat composition. We tested two hypotheses to identify whether resource addition and/or habitat composition may affect hantavirus prevalence among two sympatric reservoir hosts in a neotropical forest: (i) increased food resources will alter the rodent community and thus hantaviral prevalence; and (ii) host abundance and viral seroprevalence will be associated with habitat composition. We established a baseline of rodent-virus prevalence in three grid pairs of distinct habitat compositions and subjected one grid of each pair to resource augmentation. Increased rodent species diversity was observed on grids where food was added versus untreated control grids during the first post-treatment sampling session. Resource augmentation changed species community composition, yet it did not affect the prevalence of hantavirus in the host population over time, nor was there evidence of a dilution effect. Secondly, we show that the prevalence of the virus in the respective reservoir hosts was associated with habitat composition at two spatial levels, independent of resource addition, supporting previous findings that habitat composition is a primary driver of the prevalence of hantaviruses in the neotropics.

Three new species of Eimeria Schneider 1875 in the montane grass mouse, Akodon montensis (Rodentia: Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae), and redescription of Eimeria zygodontomyis Lainson and Shaw 1990 from southeastern Brazil

We describe three new coccidian species of the genus Eimeria Schneider 1875 (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) and redescribe and report Eimeria zygodontomyis Lainson and Shaw, 1990 in the montane grass mouse, Akodon montensis Thomas, 1913 from the Serra dos Órgãos National Park in southeastern Brazil. Sporulated oocysts of Eimeria zygodontomyis are ellipsoidal to cylindrical with a 0.6 (0.5-0.8) μm thick very delicate bi-layered wall; length × width (n = 49) 18.3 × 12.5 (16-20 × 11-13) μm; length/width ratio of 1.4 (1.2-1.6); 1 polar granule occasionally present; micropyle, residuum both absent. Sporocysts are ellipsoidal; length × width 8.5 × 5.2 (8-11 × 5-6) μm; length/width ratio of 1.5 (1.3-1.7) μm; Stieda body is prominent; sub-Stieda body is absent; sporocyst residuum is compact. Sporulated oocysts of Eimeria montensis n. sp. are spheroidal to subspheroidal with a 1.2 (1.0-1.4) μm thick bi-layered wall; outer layer lightly pitted; length × width (n = 30) 16.3 × 12.5 (15-17 × 13-15) μm; length/width ratio of 1.3 (1.0-1.4); 1 polar granule present; micropyle, residuum both absent. Sporocysts are ellipsoidal; length × width 7.2 × 5.1 (6-8 × 4-6) μm; length/width ratio of 1.4 (1.2-1.6); Stieda body is present, sub-Stieda body is absent; sporocyst residuum consists of small, scattered granules. Sporulated oocysts of Eimeria uricanensis n. sp. are ovoidal to pyriform with a 1.4 ( 1.3-1.6) μm thick bi-layered wall; outer layer lightly pitted; length × width (n = 40) 26.6 × 18.6 (23-30 × 17-20) μm; length/width ratio of 1.4 (1.3-1.6); 1 polar granule present; micropyle, residuum both absent. Sporocysts are ellipsoidal, length × width 13.3 × 8.0 (10-16 × 7-9) μm; length/width ratio of 1.7 (1.5-1.9); Stieda body, sub-Stieda body both absent; sporocyst residuum consists of a cluster of granules, forming a spheroid mass. Sporulated oocysts of Eimeria parnasiensis n. sp. are subspheroidal to ellipsoidal with a 1.8 ( 1.3-2.4) μm thick bi-layered wall; outer layer lightly pitted; length × width (n = 54) 28.2 × 21.9 (26-32 × 19-28) μm; length/width ratio of 1.3 (1.2-1.4); 1 polar granule present; micropyle is absent; oocyst residuum is present and consists of a cluster of granules of varying thickness. Sporocysts are ovoidal, tapering towards the Stieda body; length × width 12.2 × 7.6 (10-13 × 6-9) μm; length/width ratio of 1.6 (1.4-1.9); Stieda body is present; sub-Stieda body is absent; sporocyst residuum is present and consists of an aggregate of thin granules.

Hantavirus host assemblages and human disease in the Atlantic Forest

Several viruses from the genus Orthohantavirus are known to cause lethal disease in humans. Sigmodontinae rodents are the main hosts responsible for hantavirus transmission in the tropical forests, savannas, and wetlands of South America. These rodents can shed different hantaviruses, such as the lethal and emerging Araraquara orthohantavirus. Factors that drive variation in host populations may influence hantavirus transmission dynamics within and between populations. Landscape structure, and particularly areas with a predominance of agricultural land and forest remnants, is expected to influence the proportion of hantavirus rodent hosts in the Atlantic Forest rodent community. Here, we tested this using 283 Atlantic Forest rodent capture records and geographically weighted models that allow us to test if predictors vary spatially. We also assessed the correspondence between proportions of hantavirus hosts in rodent communities and a human vulnerability to hantavirus infection index across the entire Atlantic Forest biome. We found that hantavirus host proportions were more positively influenced by landscape diversity than by a particular habitat or agricultural matrix type. Local small mammal diversity also positively influenced known pathogenic hantavirus host proportions, indicating that a plasticity to habitat quality may be more important for these hosts than competition with native forest dwelling species. We found a consistent positive effect of sugarcane and tree plantation on the proportion of rodent hosts, whereas defaunation intensity did not correlate with the proportion of hosts of potentially pathogenic hantavirus genotypes in the community, indicating that non-defaunated areas can also be hotspots for hantavirus disease outbreaks. The spatial match between host hotspots and human disease vulnerability was 17%, while coldspots matched 20%. Overall, we discovered strong spatial and land use change influences on hantavirus hosts at the landscape level across the Atlantic Forest. Our findings suggest disease surveillance must be reinforced in the southern and southeastern regions of the biome where the highest predicted hantavirus host proportion and levels of vulnerability spatially match. Importantly, our analyses suggest there may be more complex rodent community dynamics and interactions with human disease than currently hypothesized.

Expansion of the range of Necromys lasiurus (Lund, 1841) into open areas of the Atlantic Forest biome in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, and the role of the species as a host of the hantavirus

Necromys lasiurus is a generalist rodent that is thought to be the main reservoir of the Araraquara hantavirus, which causes Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, in the Brazilian Cerrado savanna. This species occurs naturally in the open habitats of the Cerrado, Pantanal and Caatinga biomes, where it often occurs at high densities, although the distribution of the species has recently been observed expanding into the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. This study aimed to map the occurrence of N. lasiurus within the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro state and discuss the potential role of the species as a reservoir of the Araraquara hantavirus in these areas. The study was based on a comprehensive literature search and four expeditions for the collection of specimens in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The data were used to predict the distribution of N. lasiurus, confirm the distribution of the species in the state, and detect the rates of hantavirus infection in these rodents. Necromys lasiurus has been recorded at 16 localities in 10 municipalities of Rio de Janeiro state. The relative abundance of N. lasiurus was low at all localities, except for the REBIO Poço das Antas and APA-BRSJ, two protected areas. Necromys lasiurus was associated primarily with landscapes dominated by farmland (plantations or pasture) at relatively low altitudes in the vicinity of bodies of water. A total of 204 serum samples were collected, but none were reactive for hantavirus. The distribution of N. lasiurus is expanding into many areas of the anthropogenic matrix, but it is not usually either abundant or dominant in these areas. The relatively reduced abundance of N. lasiurus in Rio de Janeiro and the lack of infection in all the areas investigated indicate that it is unlikely to be a reservoir of hantavirus in this region in the near future.

Habitat, species richness and hantaviruses of sigmodontine rodents within the Interior Atlantic Forest, Paraguay

Four of the nine sigmodontine tribes have species that serve as reservoirs of rodent-borne hantaviruses (RBO-HV), few have been studied in any depth. Several viruses have been associated with human cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome often through peridomestic exposure. Jabora (JABV) and Juquitiba (JUQV), harbored by Akodon montensis and Oligoryzomys nigripes, respectively, are endemic and sympatric in the Reserva Natural de Bosque Mbaracayú (RNBM), Paraguay, a protected area of the Interior Atlantic Forest. Rodent communities were surveyed along a 30 km stretch of the RNBM in eight vegetation classifications (Low, High, Bamboo, Riparian and Liana Forests, Bamboo Understory, Cerrado, and Meadow/Grasslands). We collected 417 rodents from which 11 species were identified; Akodon montensis was the predominant species (72%; 95%CI: 64.7%-76.3%), followed by Hylaeamys megacephalus (15% (11.2%-18.2%)) and Oligoryzomys nigripes (9% (6.6%-12.4%)). We examined the statistical associations among habitat (vegetation class) type, rodent species diversity, population structure (age, sex, and weight), and prevalence of RBO-HV antibody and/or viral RNA (Ab/RNA) or characteristic Leishmania tail lesions. Ab/RNA positive rodents were not observed in Cerrado and Low Forest. A. montensis had an overall Ab/RNA prevalence of 7.7% (4.9%-11.3%) and O. nigripes had an overall prevalence of 8.6% (1.8%-23.1%). For A. montensis, the odds of being Ab/RNA positive in High Forest was 3.73 times of the other habitats combined. There was no significant difference among age classes in the proportion of Ab/RNA positive rodents overall (p = 0.66), however, all 11 RNA-positive individuals were adult. Sex and habitat had independent prognostic value for hantaviral Ab/RNA in the study population; age, presence of tail scar/lesion (19% of the rodents) and weight did not. Adjusting for habitat, female rodents had less risk of becoming infected. Importantly, these data suggest habitat preferences of two sympatric rodent reservoirs for two endemic hantaviruses and the importance of including habitat in models of species diversity and habitat fragmentation.

Co-circulation of Araraquara and Juquitiba Hantavirus in Brazilian Cerrado

Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome is an emerging serious disease in the Americas, transmitted from wild rodents to humans through inhalation of aerosol containing virus. Herein, we characterized two distinct hantaviruses circulating in rodent species form Central Plateau, Midwestern region of Brazil in the Cerrado (savanna-like) biome, an area characterized by small trees and grasses adapted to climates with long dry periods. In this study, we identified the co-circulation of the Araraquara virus and a possible new lineage of the Juquitiba virus (JUQV) in Oligoryzomys nigripes. The implications of co-circulation are still unknown, but it can be the key for increasing viral diversity or emergence of new species through spillover or host switching events leading to co-infection and consequently recombination or reassortment between different virus species. Phylogenetic analyses based on the complete S segment indicated that, alongside with Oligoryzomys mattogrossae rodents, O. nigripes species could also have a whole as JUQV reservoir in the Cerrado biome. Although these rodents' species are common in the Cerrado biome, they are not abundant demonstrating how complex and different hantavirus enzootic cycles can be in this particular biome.

A new species of Eimeria Schneider, 1875 from the Serra dos Órgãos National Park, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with notes on its endogenous development in the montane grass mouse, Akodon montensis Thomas, 1913 (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae)

A total of 53 specimens of the montane grass mouse, Akodon montensis Thomas, 1913 were collected in the Serra dos Órgãos National Park (SONP) in November 2014 and July 2015. The fecal material was analyzed, and a prevalence of 7.5% was recorded for a new coccidian species of the genus Eimeria Schneider, 1875, with part of its endogenous development recorded in the small intestine. The oocysts of a new coccidian species of genus Eimeria are ellipsoidal to subspherical. The wall is bi-layered, c. 1.5 μm (1.3–1.6 μm) thick, outer layer rough. Oocyst (n = 126) mean length is 25.3 μm (21.0–28.0 μm), with a width of 20.2 μm (17.0–22.0 μm) and mean length/width (L:W) ratio of 1.3 (1.2–1.4). Polar granule is present, with the oocyst residuum as a large spherical to subspherical globule. Sporocyst shape (n = 126) is ellipsoidal, with a mean length of 11.8 μm (9.3–14.4 μm), width of 7.9 μm (6.7–9.3 μm), and mean L:W ratio of 1.5 (1.4–1.7). Sporocysts with nipple-like Stieda body and sub-Stieda body are absent. A sporocyst residuum formed by several globules, usually along the sporocyst wall. This is the first record of Eimeria in the montane grass mouse from Brazil.

Landscape, Climate and Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome Outbreaks

We performed a literature review in order to improve our understanding of how landscape and climate drivers affect HCPS outbreaks. Anthropogenic landscape changes such as forest loss, fragmentation and agricultural land uses are related with a boost in hantavirus reservoir species abundance and hantavirus prevalence in tropical areas, increasing HCPS risk. Additionally, higher precipitation, especially in arid regions, favors an increase in vegetational biomass, which augments the resources for reservoir rodents, also increasing HCPS risk. Although these relationships were observed, few studies described it so far, and the ones that did it are concentrated in few places. To guide future research on this issue, we build a conceptual model relating landscape and climate variables with HCPS outbreaks and identified research opportunities. We point out the need for studies addressing the effects of landscape configuration, temperature and the interaction between climate and landscape variables. Critical landscape thresholds are also highly relevant, once HCPS risk transmission can increase rapidly above a certain degree of landscape degradation. These studies could be relevant to implement preventive measures, creating landscapes that can mitigate disease spread risk.

A Fatal Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome Misdiagnosed as Dengue: An Investigation into the First Reported Case in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

We report the results of an investigation into a fatal case of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, where the disease had not been reported previous to 2015. Following the notification of an HPS case, serum samples were collected from the household members and work contacts of the HPS patient and tested for antibody to hantaviruses. Seroprevalence of 22% (10/45) was indicated for hantavirus out of 45 human samples tested. Blood and tissue samples were collected from 72 rodents during fieldwork to evaluate the prevalence of hantavirus infection, by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay IgG, and to characterize the rodent hantavirus reservoir(s), by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and sequencing. Antibody prevalence was 6.9%. The circulation of a single genotype, the Juquitiba hantavirus, carried by two rodent species, black-footed pigmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys nigripes) and cursor grass mouse (Akodon cursor), was shown by analysis of the nucleotide sequences of the S segment. Juquitiba hantavirus circulates in rodents of various species, but mainly in the black-footed pigmy rice rat. HPS is a newly recognized clinical entity in Rio de Janeiro State and should be considered in patients with febrile illness and acute respiratory distress.

Landscape, Environmental and Social Predictors of Hantavirus Risk in São Paulo, Brazil

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is a disease caused by Hantavirus, which are negative-sense RNA viruses in the family Bunyaviridae that are highly virulent to humans. Numerous factors modify risk of Hantavirus transmission and consequent HPS risk. Human-driven landscape change can foster transmission risk by increasing numbers of habitat generalist rodent species that serve as the principal reservoir host. Climate can also affect rodent population dynamics and Hantavirus survival, and a number of social factors can influence probability of HPS transmission to humans. Evaluating contributions of these factors to HPS risk may enable predictions of future outbreaks, and is critical to development of effective public health strategies. Here we rely on a Bayesian model to quantify associations between annual HPS incidence across the state of São Paulo, Brazil (1993–2012) and climate variables (annual precipitation, annual mean temperature), landscape structure metrics (proportion of native habitat cover, number of forest fragments, proportion of area planted with sugarcane), and social factors (number of men older than 14 years and Human Development Index). We built separate models for the main two biomes of the state (cerrado and Atlantic forest). In both biomes Hantavirus risk increased with proportion of land cultivated for sugarcane and HDI, but proportion of forest cover, annual mean temperature, and population at risk also showed positive relationships in the Atlantic forest. Our analysis provides the first evidence that social, landscape, and climate factors are associated with HPS incidence in the Neotropics. Our risk map can be used to support the adoption of preventive measures and optimize the allocation of resources to avoid disease propagation, especially in municipalities that show medium to high HPS risk (> 5% of risk), and aimed at sugarcane workers, minimizing the risk of future HPS outbreaks.

Microorganisms in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) collected on marsupials and rodents from Santa Catarina, Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul states, Brazil

Information about tick fauna and monitoring of pathogen prevalences in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in various habitat types can enhance knowledge about the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens in Brazil. This work shows the results of a study of tick parasitism of wild rodents and marsupials collected in seven localities in the southern part of Brazil, within Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes. A total of 61 ticks were collected from small mammals, and after identification to the species level, the ticks were individually tested for the presence of bacteria of the genera Rickettsia, Borrelia, family Anaplasmataceae, and protozoa of the genus Babesia. The following species of ticks were found: Amblyomma ovale Koch, 1844, Amblyomma dubitatum Neumann, 1899, Amblyomma fuscum Neumann, 1907, Ixodes aragaoi Fonseca, 1935, Ixodes fuscipes Koch, 1844, Ixodes loricatus Neumann, 1899, and Ixodes schulzei Aragão and Fonseca, 1951. Among tested ticks, no DNA of Borrelia, Babesia or Anaplasmataceae was detected. Two nymphs of A. ovale were found infected with Rickettsia bellii and four nymphs of I. aragaoi with Rickettsia sp., genetically close to Rickettsia monacensis, Rickettsia tamurae and the endosymbiont Rickettsia spp., previously found in various Ixodidae. In one nymph of A. fuscum, DNA of a novel Hepatozoon sp. was found. Additionally we provide novel tick-host associations.

Hantavirus in new geographic regions, Sweden

In Sweden, human cases of Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) infections are reported from the northern endemic regions. We found hantavirus-specific antibodies in yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis) trapped in human dwellings in the surroundings of the cities of Uppsala and Stockholm, which are situated far south from the traditional endemic areas of PUUV. Because the yellow-necked mouse is the most common rodent in human dwellings, hantaviruses in this rodent species may be important for the public health.

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and rodent reservoirs in the savanna-like biome of Brazil's southeastern region

This paper describes the diversity of rodent fauna in an area endemic for hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) in Brazil, the population dynamics and the relationship of rodents with hantavirus in the Cerrado (savanna-like) biome. Additionally, an analysis is made of the partial S segment sequences of the hantaviruses obtained from serologically confirmed human HCPS cases and from rodent specimens. Rodents were collected during four campaigns. Human serum samples were collected from suspected cases of HCPS at hospitals in the state of Minas Gerais. The samples antibody-reactive by ELISA were processed by RT-PCR. The PCR product was amplified and sequenced. Hantavirus was detected only in Necromys lasiurus, the wild rodent species most prevalent in the Cerrado biome (min-max: 50-83·7%). All the six human serum samples were hantavirus seropositive and five showed amplified PCR products. The analysis of the nucleotide sequences showed the circulation of a single genotype, the Araraquara hantavirus. The environmental changes that have occurred in the Cerrado biome in recent decades have favoured N. lasiurus in interspecific competition of habitats, thus increasing the risk of contact between humans and rodent species infected with hantavirus. Our data corroborate the definition of N. lasiurus as the main hantavirus reservoir in the Cerrado biome.

Emerging Viruses in the Republic of Suriname: Retrospective and Prospective Study into Chikungunya Circulation and Suspicion of Human Hantavirus Infections, 2008-2012 and 2014

INTRODUCTION

Suriname is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is unique in the sense that different ethnic cultures live together within the country, resulting in high levels of transport of both humans and products between the Asian, African, and European continents as well as the Caribbean. Travel is only one of the many factors present in Suriname contributing to the risk for the emergence or introduction of any infectious disease. Recently, circulation of both chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and hantavirus was reported in areas neighboring Suriname. Here we report a retrospective and prospective study into chikungunya and hantavirus circulation.

METHODS

A chikungunya and hantavirus retrospective serological study was conducted on samples submitted for dengue, leptospirosis, and/or influenza virus diagnostics between 2008 and 2012 to the Bureau of Public Health in Suriname. This was followed by a prospective CHIKV serological and molecular surveillance study until the detection of the first autochthonous CHIKV cases in Suriname in May and June of 2014.

RESULTS

None of the tested samples showed the presence of CHIKV antibodies in the retrospective serological study. Prospective testing of CHIKV-suspected patients resulted in the detection of the first autochthonous CHIKV cases in Suriname in May, 2015. In one sample, we were able to isolate and sequence the virus. Retrospective testing for the presence of hantavirus antibodies showed a relative high response in both pan-hantavirus enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunofluorescence assay (IFA). However, neutralization tests did not yield any evidence for infection with either Seoul or Andes hantavirus.

CONCLUSION

Here we report the presence of CHIKV in the republic of Suriname and the first serological indication of hantavirus infections in symptomatic patients.