Puumala hantavirus infection alters the odour attractiveness of its reservoir host

SUMMARYRecent discovery of genetically distinct hantaviruses in shrews and moles (order Soricomorpha, family Soricidae and Talpidae) has challenged the conventional view that rodents serve as the principal reservoir hosts. Nova virus (NVAV), previously identified in archival liver tissue of a single European mole (Talpa europaea) from Hungary, represents one of the most highly divergent hantaviruses identified to date. To ascertain the spatial distribution and genetic diversity of NVAV, we employed RT–PCR to analyse lungs from 94 moles, captured in two locations in France, during October 2012 to March 2013. NVAV was detected in more than 60% of moles at each location, suggesting efficient enzootic virus transmission and confirming that this mole species serves as the reservoir host. Although the pathogenic potential of NVAV is unknown, the widespread geographical distribution of the European mole might pose a hantavirus exposure risk for humans.

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Hantavirus infections in humans in Poland—current state of knowledge and perspectives for research

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz144 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (5) ◽

pp. 982-985 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Joanna Stojak

Keyword(s):

Host Species ◽

Western Europe ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Virus Transmission ◽

Hemorrhagic Fever ◽

Reservoir Host ◽

Hantavirus Infection ◽

Current State ◽

Potential Factors

Abstract Background In Europe, hantaviruses cause serious human disease, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). The geographic distribution of human cases of HFRS is a consequence of distribution of reservoir host species. Epidemiology of HFRS is well-studied in Western Europe, while data from Central and Eastern Europe are poor or unavailable. Methods The data on hantavirus infections in humans during 2007–2017 were gathered to distinguish pattern of HFRS occurrence and characterize potential factors shaping HFRS epidemiology in Poland. Results The south-eastern part of Poland (Podkarpackie voivodeship) was recognized as endemic area of hantavirus prevalence. Incidence rate of HFRS in Poland was positively correlated with mast years and higher abundance of rodents, urbanization index, and forest cover, while the climatic factors (average temperatures in January and July and average annual precipitation) have had no significant impact. Conclusions In Poland, HFRS is still not recognized entity. Further studies on hantavirus infection rate in reservoir host species (rodents, shrews, and bats) and virus transmission to humans are needed to prevent outbreaks of HFRS in the future.

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Occupational Hantavirus Infections in Agricultural and Forestry Workers: A Systematic Review and Metanalysis

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v13112150 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 2150

Author(s):

Matteo Riccò ◽

Simona Peruzzi ◽

Silvia Ranzieri ◽

Nicola Magnavita

Keyword(s):

Virus Transmission ◽

Hemorrhagic Fever ◽

Reference Population ◽

Reservoir Host ◽

Hantavirus Infection ◽

Infection Rates ◽

Occupational Groups ◽

Forestry Workers ◽

Human Disorders ◽

Human Infections

Hantaviruses are zoonotic pathogens that can cause serious human disorders, including hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome. As the main risk factor for human infections is the interaction with rodents, occupational groups such as farmers and forestry workers are reportedly at high risk, but no summary evidence has been collected to date. Therefore, we searched two different databases (PubMed and EMBASE), focusing on studies reporting the prevalence of hantaviruses in farmers and forestry workers. Data were extracted using a standardized assessment form, and results of such analyses were systematically reported, summarized and compared. We identified a total of 42 articles, including a total of 28 estimates on farmers, and 22 on forestry workers, with a total workforce of 15,043 cases (821 positive cases, 5.5%). A pooled seroprevalence of 3.7% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 2.2–6.2) was identified in farmers, compared to 3.8% (95% CI 2.6–5.7) in forestry workers. Compared to the reference population, an increased occurrence was reported for both occupational groups (odds ratio [OR] 1.875, 95% CI 1.438–2.445 and OR 2.892, 95% CI 2.079–4.023 for farmers and forestry workers, respectively). In summary, our analyses stress the actual occurrence of hantaviruses in selected occupational groups. Improved understanding of appropriate preventive measures, as well as further studies on hantavirus infection rates in reservoir host species (rodents, shrews, and bats) and virus transmission to humans, is needed to prevent future outbreaks.

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DETECTION OF LEISHMANIA INFECTION IN STRAY DOGS IN HUMAN LEISHMANIASIS ENDEMIC AREA IN MYMENSINGH DISTRICT WITH ITS POSSIBLE PUBLIC HEALTH SIGNIFICANCE IN BANGLADESH

Journal of Veterinary Medical and One Health Research ◽

10.36111/jvmohr.2019.1(1).0009 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

Author(s):

M. A. Hossen

Keyword(s):

Visceral Leishmaniasis ◽

Asymptomatic Carrier ◽

Asymptomatic Infection ◽

Reservoir Host ◽

Sand Fly ◽

Leishmania Infection ◽

Endemic Region ◽

Stray Dogs ◽

Human Leishmaniasis ◽

Strip Test

Background: Leishmaniasis is primarily caused by two species of Leishmania (L. donovani and L. infantum) of which clinical infection with L. infantum has been recognized in both humans and dogs as zoonotic disease with dogs as the main reservoir hosts in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Asia and South America. Although L. donovani has been associated with both clinical and asymptomatic infection in humans but it is still associated with asymptomatic infection in dogs in Indian sub-continent without any evidence of zoonotic infection. Objectives: The objective of this research was to investigate the potentiality of dog as reservoir host for visceral leishmaniasis in the human leishmaniasis endemic regions in Bangladesh. Materials and Methods: A total of 20 stray dogs in the human VL endemic areas of Mymensingh district were captured for the detection VL during the period of November 2010 to May 2011. The dipstick test rK39 (Bios International; n = 20), Giemsa’s stained impression smears of liver and spleen (n = 6) and PCR with the tissue of liver and spleen (n = 6) were tested as per manufacturer instructions and conventional standard methods. Results: Out of 20 stray dogs examined, 4 (20.0%) were positive for L. donovani infection with rK39 strip test. Of the six randomly selected dogs tested with Modified Giemsa’s stained of impression smears of spleen and liver showed 2 (33.33%) positive whereas PCR technique detected 5 (83.33%) positive for L. donovani. Results of PCR showed 145bp amplicon, specific for L. donovani infection in 83.33% stray dogs. Conclusions: This study reveals that a high percentage of L. donovani asymptomatic carrier infections occur in dogs and evidence indicates that dogs and humans may potentially serve as a source of infection to sand fly vectors and accordingly dogs can be recognized as a probable animal reservoir for the Leishmania infection in the endemic region in Bangladesh. However, further studies are required to determine the ability of dogs to transmit the L. donovani to the vector sand fly in nature and its evidence on ‘One Health’ perspectives. Keywords: Visceral leishmaniasis, Endemic region, Stray dogs, rK39 strip test, Giemsa’s stained liver and spleen impression smears, PCR, Reservoir host, Mymensingh

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Updated and Validated Pan-Coronavirus PCR Assay to Detect All Coronavirus Genera

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v13040599 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 599

Author(s):

Myndi G. Holbrook ◽

Simon J. Anthony ◽

Isamara Navarrete-Macias ◽

Theo Bestebroer ◽

Vincent J. Munster ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Host Species ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Respiratory Illness ◽

Reservoir Host ◽

Pcr Assay ◽

Wildlife Reservoirs ◽

Viral Surveillance ◽

Reservoir Hosts

Coronavirus (CoV) spillover events from wildlife reservoirs can result in mild to severe human respiratory illness. These spillover events underlie the importance of detecting known and novel CoVs circulating in reservoir host species and determining CoV prevalence and distribution, allowing improved prediction of spillover events or where a human–reservoir interface should be closely monitored. To increase the likelihood of detecting all circulating genera and strains, we have modified primers published by Watanabe et al. in 2010 to generate a semi-nested pan-CoV PCR assay. Representatives from the four coronavirus genera (α-CoVs, β-CoVs, γ-CoVs and δ-CoVs) were tested and all of the in-house CoVs were detected using this assay. After comparing both assays, we found that the updated assay reliably detected viruses in all genera of CoVs with high sensitivity, whereas the sensitivity of the original assay was lower. Our updated PCR assay is an important tool to detect, monitor and track CoVs to enhance viral surveillance in reservoir hosts.

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Host Diversity and Potential Transmission Pathways of SARS-CoV-2 at the Human-Animal Interface

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens10020180 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 180 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hayden D. Hedman ◽

Eric Krawczyk ◽

Yosra A. Helmy ◽

Lixin Zhang ◽

Csaba Varga

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Close Contact ◽

Natural Infection ◽

Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽

Reservoir Host ◽

Host Susceptibility ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

Severe Illness ◽

Host Diversity ◽

Transmission Pathways

Emerging infectious diseases present great risks to public health. The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has become an urgent public health issue of global concern. It is speculated that the virus first emerged through a zoonotic spillover. Basic research studies have suggested that bats are likely the ancestral reservoir host. Nonetheless, the evolutionary history and host susceptibility of SARS-CoV-2 remains unclear as a multitude of animals has been proposed as potential intermediate or dead-end hosts. SARS-CoV-2 has been isolated from domestic animals, both companion and livestock, as well as in captive wildlife that were in close contact with human COVID-19 cases. Currently, domestic mink is the only known animal that is susceptible to a natural infection, develop severe illness, and can also transmit SARS-CoV-2 to other minks and humans. To improve foundational knowledge of SARS-CoV-2, we are conducting a synthesis review of its host diversity and transmission pathways. To mitigate this COVID-19 pandemic, we strongly advocate for a systems-oriented scientific approach that comprehensively evaluates the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at the human and animal interface.

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From Protein to Pandemic: The Transdisciplinary Approach Needed to Prevent Spillover and the Next Pandemic

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v13071298 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 1298

Author(s):

Raina K. Plowright ◽

Peter J. Hudson

Keyword(s):

Immune Responses ◽

Host Population ◽

Reservoir Host ◽

Innate Immune ◽

Receptor Protein ◽

The Novel ◽

Innate Immune Responses ◽

Transdisciplinary Approach ◽

Sequence Of Events ◽

Global Spread

Pandemics are a consequence of a series of processes that span scales from viral biology at 10−9 m to global transmission at 106 m. The pathogen passes from one host species to another through a sequence of events that starts with an infected reservoir host and entails interspecific contact, innate immune responses, receptor protein structure within the potential host, and the global spread of the novel pathogen through the naive host population. Each event presents a potential barrier to the onward passage of the virus and should be characterized with an integrated transdisciplinary approach. Epidemic control is based on the prevention of exposure, infection, and disease. However, the ultimate pandemic prevention is prevention of the spillover event itself. Here, we focus on the potential for preventing the spillover of henipaviruses, a group of viruses derived from bats that frequently cross species barriers, incur high human mortality, and are transmitted among humans via stuttering chains. We outline the transdisciplinary approach needed to prevent the spillover process and, therefore, future pandemics.

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Serological evidence of hantavirus infection in an urban area in Mato Grosso State, Brazil

Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical ◽

10.1590/0037-8682-0026-2016 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 49 (3) ◽

pp. 348-350 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Carla Julia da Silva Pessoa Vieira ◽

David José Ferreira da Silva ◽

Eriana Serpa Barreto ◽

Carlos Eduardo Hassegawa Siqueira ◽

Vivaldo Gomes da Costa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Urban Area ◽

Hantavirus Infection ◽

Serological Evidence ◽

Mato Grosso

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Puumala and Andes Orthohantaviruses Cause Transient Protein Kinase R-Dependent Formation of Stress Granules

Journal of Virology ◽

10.1128/jvi.01168-19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 94 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Wanda Christ ◽

Janne Tynell ◽

Jonas Klingström

Keyword(s):

Protein Kinase ◽

Host Cell ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Stress Granules ◽

Cell Stress ◽

Stress Granule ◽

Hantavirus Infection ◽

Stress Signaling ◽

Protein Kinase R ◽

Granule Formation

ABSTRACT Virus infection frequently triggers host cell stress signaling resulting in translational arrest; as a consequence, many viruses employ means to modulate the host stress response. Hantaviruses are negative-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses known to inhibit host innate immune responses and apoptosis, but their impact on host cell stress signaling remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated activation of host cell stress responses during hantavirus infection. We show that hantavirus infection causes transient formation of stress granules (SGs) but does so in only a limited proportion of infected cells. Our data indicate some cell type-specific and hantavirus species-specific variability in SG prevalence and show SG formation to be dependent on the activation of protein kinase R (PKR). Hantavirus infection inhibited PKR-dependent SG formation, which could account for the transient nature and low prevalence of SG formation observed during hantavirus infection. In addition, we report only limited colocalization of hantaviral proteins or RNA with SGs and show evidence indicating hantavirus-mediated inhibition of PKR-like endoplasmic reticulum (ER) kinase (PERK). IMPORTANCE Our work presents the first report on stress granule formation during hantavirus infection. We show that hantavirus infection actively inhibits stress granule formation, thereby escaping the detrimental effects on global translation imposed by host stress signaling. Our results highlight a previously uncharacterized aspect of hantavirus-host interactions with possible implications for how hantaviruses are able to cause persistent infection in natural hosts and for pathogenesis.

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