| Grant number: | 11/05067-0 |
| Support type: | Scholarships in Brazil - Master |
| Effective date (Start): | August 01, 2011 |
| Effective date (End): | March 31, 2013 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Microbiology |
| Principal Investigator: | Luiz Tadeu Moraes Figueiredo |
| Grantee: | William Marciel de Souza |
| Home Institution: | Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil |
Abstract Viruses of the genus hantavirus are members of the family Bunyaviridae. These viruses cause two serious diseases transmitted by rodents to humans: Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) or Hantavirus Cardiovascular Pulmonary Syndrome (HCPS), which is characterized by respiratory distress, fever, pulmonary vascular leakage, shock and high mortality and is a very important problem of public health. Hantaviruses are spherical with a diameter of 73-150 nm, enveloped RNA genome with negative polarity trissegment, defined as small, medium and large, is wrapped by a nucleoprotein. Human infection is acquired by inhalation of aerosols containing excrement of rodents infected with hantavirus, and its possible relationship, the increase of rodents, reservoirs in urban and peri-urban areas due to deforestation. The hantavirus have close association with its rodent reservoirs, and are commonly species-specific, on the American continent is more than 20 different species in hantavirus-rodent reservoirs. Recently, it was isolated in the region of Ribeirão Preto, the first hantavirus in Brazil, the etiologic agent of HCPS, the Araraquara virus (ARAV). ARAV has as the wild rodent reservoir Necromys lasiurus. Thus, this work aimed to study mechanisms of infection and virus excretion of ARAV from rodent-tanks aimed to understand aspects of infection and immune response of the ARAV. Thus, we intend to determine the best dose and route of excretion infection, infective viability of biological samples, physiological and immunological responses. In addition, studies of transmission among rodents, reservoirs also will be conducted, may help to elucidate mechanisms of infection and maintenance of hantaviruses in nature. (AU) | |