Evidence of Hantavirus Infection among Bats in Brazil

Author(s):Show less -

Sabino-Santos, Jr., Gilberto ^[1] ; Motta Maia, Felipe Goncalves ^[2] ; Vieira, Thallyta Maria ^[1] ; Muylaert, Renata de Lara ^[1] ; Lima, Sabrina Miranda ^[3] ; Goncalves, Cristieli Barros ^[3] ; Barroso, Patricia Doerl ^[3] ; Melo, Maria Norma ^[3] ; Jonsson, Colleen B. ^[4] ; Goodin, Douglas ^[5] ; Salazar-Bravo, Jorge ^[6] ; Moraes Figueiredo, Luiz Tadeu ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Louisville, Dept Microbiol & Immunol, Ctr Predict Med Biodef & Emerging Infect Dis, Louisville, KY 40292 - USA

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Microbiol, Inst Biomed Sci, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Minas Gerais, Dept Parasitol, Inst Biol Sci, Belo Horizonte, MG - Brazil

^[4] Natl Inst Math & Biol Synth, Dept Microbiol, Knoxville, TN - USA

^[5] Kansas State Univ, Dept Geog, Manhattan, KS 66506 - USA

^[6] Texas Tech Univ, Dept Biol Sci, Lubbock, TX 79409 - USA

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene; v. 93, n. 2, p. 404-406, AUG 2015.
• Web of Science Citations: 7

Abstract

Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses harbored by rodents, bats, and shrews. At present, only rodent-borne hantaviruses are associated with severe illness in humans. New species of hantaviruses have been recently identified in bats and shrews greatly expanding the potential reservoirs and ranges of these viruses. Brazil has one of the highest incidences of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome in South America, hence it is critical to know what is the prevalence of hantaviruses in Brazil. Although much is known about rodent reservoirs, little is known regarding bats. We captured 270 bats from February 2012 to April 2014. Serum was screened for the presence of antibodies against a recombinant nucleoprotein (rN) of Araraquara virus (ARAQV). The prevalence of antibody to hantavirus was 9/53 with an overall seroprevalence of 17%. Previous studies have shown only insectivorous bats to harbor hantavirus; however, in our study, of the nine seropositive bats, five were frugivorous, one was carnivorous, and three were sanguivorous phyllostomid bats. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 08/50617-6 - Studies on emerging viruses including arbovirus, robovirus, respiratory viruses and congenital transmission, at the Centro de Pesquisa em Virologia da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo
• Grantee: Luiz Tadeu Moraes Figueiredo
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 11/06810-9 - Detection and ecology of Hantavirus among wild small mammals and their ectoparasites
• Grantee: Gilberto Sabino dos Santos Junior
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate