An outbreak of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in western Paraguay.
| Title | An outbreak of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in western Paraguay. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 1997 |
| Authors | Williams, RJ, Bryan, RT, Mills, JN, Palma, RE, Vera, I, De Velasquez, F, Baez, E, Schmidt, WE, Figueroa, RE, Peters, CJ, Zaki, SR, Khan, AS, Ksiazek, TG |
| Journal | The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pagination | 274-82 |
| Date Published | 1997 Sep |
| ISSN | 0002-9637 |
| Keywords | Adult, Animals, Antibodies, Viral, Cluster Analysis, Disease Outbreaks, Disease Reservoirs, Female, Hantavirus, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Paraguay, Rain, Rodentia |
| Abstract | During an investigation of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in Paraguay in 1995, sera from persons with HPS-like illness, houshold contacts of confirmed HPS case-patients, and a sample of the area residents were analyzed by ELISA for antibodies to Sin Nombre virus (SNV). Rodent serosurveys and analysis of precipitation records were also conducted. Twenty-three of 24 available probable cases were SNV antibody-positive, 17 of whom were ill between July 1995 and January 1996. Four (14.8%) of 27 case-contacts and 44 (12.8%) of 345 community residents were also seropositive. Calomys laucha (vesper mouse) was the most common rodent species captured and the most frequently SNV-seropositive. Rainfall in May 1995 was 10-fold greater than that seen in May over the preceding 11 years. This 17 case-cluster represents the largest documented outbreak since HPS was first recognized in 1993. Calomys laucha is the likely primary rodent reservoir for a SNV-like hantavirus in western Paraguay. Fluctuations in monthly precipitation rates may have contributed to increased risk for HPS in this region. |
| Alternate Journal | Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. |