| Grant number: | 11/06810-9 |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate |
| Start date: | August 01, 2011 |
| End date: | January 31, 2015 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology |
| Principal Investigator: | Luiz Tadeu Moraes Figueiredo |
| Grantee: | Gilberto Sabino dos Santos Junior |
| Host Institution: | Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil |
Abstract Hantaviruses, family Bunyaviridae, are predominantly rodent-borne pathogens. Within natural reservoir hosts, Hantaviruses do not cause obvious pathogenic effects; transmission to humans, however, can lead to hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) in Eurasia and Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome (HCPS) in the American continent. In South America Hantaviruses are associated with rodent hosts of the subfamily Sigmodontinae (family Cricetidae), although in Brazil Hantavirus genome was detected in bats (Chiroptera). Our goal in this study will be to detect Hantavirus infection in wild volant and non volant small mammals and in its ectoparasites in different habitats. We will also verify the dynamics fluctuation, as well as ecological patterns in its natural reservoirs associated with Hantavirus infection. And finally, we will assess experimentally the spillover phenomenon in natural reservoirs in our BSL-3 facility. Non-flying small mammals will be live-trapped in 2 grids of 100 Sherman's traps each, placed at 10-m intervals, for 7 - 10 consecutive nights. Grids will be separated by at least 800 m to represent individual populations. At least 800 m from the grids a trap line will be set up with 100 Sherman's, placed 5 to 10-m intervals, to collect animals organs for viral isolation and carcasses for further morphological identification. Traps will be also placed in the trees between 1 to 3 meters to capture arboreal small mammals. Bats will be captured alive for 7 - 15 consecutive nights in mistnets. Captured animals will be identified by morphological features, marked for recapture, when from the grids, and blood will be collected by retro-orbital sinus. Animals captured in the trap lines and mistnets will be sacrificed to collect animals' organs for viral isolation, characterization and spillover assay in our BSL-3 facility. Ectoparasites from all animals will be collected for viral detection and isolation. IgG antibodies to Hantavirus going to be detected by indirect ELISA using as antigen a N recombinant protein of Araraquara Hantavirus and a RT-PCR will be performed to confirm Hantavirus infection. We also will detect Hantavirus load in tissues and blood from infected animals. A pool of ectoparasites of each individual animal will be conducted to detect Hantavirus genome. Thus, with our results we expect to understand Hantavirus infection in its natural reservoirs, and to corroborate the findings from previously studies that environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity may be a risk factor for Hantavirus infection in wild animals and it may be causing a spillover phenomenon that would perhaps contribute for a high infection ratio in humans. (AU) | |
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