Emerging hantaviruses in Central Argentina: First case of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome caused by Alto Paraguay virus, and a novel orthohantavirus in Scapteromys aquaticus rodent

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2021 Nov 17;15(11):e0009842. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009842. eCollection 2021 Nov.

Abstract

Orthohantaviruses are emerging rodent-borne pathogens that cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome in humans. They have a wide range of rodent reservoir hosts and are transmitted to humans through aerosolized viral particles generated by the excretions of infected individuals. Since the first description of HPS in Argentina, new hantaviruses have been reported throughout the country, most of which are pathogenic to humans. We present here the first HPS case infected with Alto Paraguay virus reported in Argentina. Until now, Alto Paraguay virus was considered a non-pathogenic orthohantavirus since it was identified in a rodent, Holochilus chacarius. In addition to this, with the goal of identifying potential hantavirus host species in the province of Santa Fe, we finally describe a novel orthohantavirus found in the native rodent Scapteromys aquaticus, which differed from other hantaviruses described in the country so far. Our findings implicate an epidemiological warning regarding these new orthohantaviruses circulating in Central Argentina as well as new rodent species that must be considered as hosts from now on.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood
  • Argentina
  • Disease Reservoirs / virology*
  • Female
  • Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome / virology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Orthohantavirus / classification
  • Orthohantavirus / genetics
  • Orthohantavirus / isolation & purification*
  • Phylogeny
  • Sigmodontinae / blood
  • Sigmodontinae / virology*

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral

Grants and funding

The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.