Serologic and genetic identification of peromyscus maniculatus as the primary rodent reservoir for a new hantavirus in the southwestern united states

James E. Childs, Thomas G. Ksiazek, Christina F. Spiropoulou, John W. Krebs, Sergey Morzunov, Gary O. Maupin, Kenneth L. Gage, Pierre E. Rollin, John Sarisky, Russell E. Enscore, Jennifer K. Frey, C. J. Peters, Stuart T. Nichol

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

446 Scopus citations

Abstract

An outbreak of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the southwestern United States was etiologically linked to a newly recognized hantavirus. Knowledge that hantaviruses are maintained in rodent reservoirs stimulated a field and laboratory investigation of 1696 small mammals of 31 species. The most commonly captured rodent, the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), had the highest antibody prevalence (30%) to four hantavirus antigens. Antibody also was detected in 10 other species of rodent and in 1 species of rabbit. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) products of hantavirus from rodent tissues were indistinguishable from those from human HPS patients. More than 96% of the seropositive P. maniculatus were positive by RT-PCR, suggesting chronic infection. Antibody prevalences were similar among P. maniculatus trapped from Arizona (33%), New Mexico (29%), and Colorado (29%). The numeric dominance of P. maniculatus, the high prevalence of antibody, and the RT-PCR findings implicate this species as the primary rodent reservoir for a new hantavirus in the southwestern United States.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1271-1280
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Infectious Diseases
Volume169
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1994
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

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