INFEKSI HANTAVIRUS PADA TIKUS DOMESTIK, PERIDOMESTIK DAN SILVATIK DI PULAU SULAWESI

Hantavirus infection is one of zoonotic diseases as a major global threat for human health. Anthropologic, biologic, and cultural factors contribute in the transmission of the infection in Sulawesi. In Sulawesi, some communities have a tradition of eating rat meat. A total of 52 endemic rats species is found in the area. The objective of this study were to identify the species of rats acting as hantavirus reservoir and the percentage of hantavirus seropositive in domestic, peridomestic and silvatic rats in the area. The study was conducted in four provinces, namely Central (year of 2015), North and South East (2016) and South Sulawesi (2017). Three districts of each provinces were selected. The rats captured were identified, and blood sample from each was drawn. Hantavirus infection was identified by an Elisa. The data obtained were presented descriptively. A total of 1259 rats were captured, consisted of eight genus and 27 species, ten of which were seropositive, for hantavirus infection. Six out of ten seropositive rats were record as new record of hantavirus reservoir, namely B. coelestis, B. chyssocomus, B. fratotum, B. prolatus, R. nitidus, and R. hoffmanni. The highest percentage of seropositive Hantavirus was found in peridomestic rats (5.06), while in silvic rats 4.60 and domestic rats 3.46. It is necessary to do hygiene and sanitation campaign and socialization of risks for hantavirus transmission. Abstrak Infeksi hantavirus adalah zoonosis yang telah menjadi ancaman kesehatan global dengan tikus sebagai reservoir utama zoonosis ini. Secara biologi dan antropologi penularan hantavirus rentan terjadi di Pulau Sulawesi karena di pulau ini mempunyai 52 spesies tikus endemik dan sebagian kecil masyarakat di Sulawesi mempunyai kebiasaan mengonsumsi daging tikus. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi spesies-spesies tikus yang berperan sebagai reservoir hantavirus dan menghitung persentase seropositif hantavirus pada tikus domestik, peridomestik dan silvatik di Pulau Sulawesi. Penelitian dilakukan pada tahun 2015 di Provinsi Sulawesi Tengah, tahun 2016 di Provinsi Sulawesi Utara dan Sulawesi Tenggara, serta tahun 2017 di Sulawesi Selatan. Penangkapan tikus dilakukan di tiga kabupaten pada setiap provinsi. Tikus tertangkap diidentifikasi dan diambil spesimen darahnya. Pemeriksaan serologi dengan menggunakan teknik Elisa. Data dianalisis secara deskriptif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan tikus tertangkap sebanyak 1.259 ekor yang terdiri dari delapan genus dan 27 spesies. Sepuluh spesies seropositif terhadap hantavirus, enam diantaranya merupakan catatan baru sebagai reservoir hantavirus. Keenam spesies tersebut adalah Bunomys coelestis, B. chyssocomus, B. fratotum, B. prolatus, R. nitidus, dan R. hoffmanni. Persentase tikus seropositif terhadap hantavirus tertinggi ditemukan pada tikus peridomestik (5,06), sedangkan pada tikus silvatik 4,60 dan tikus domestik 3,46. Perlu dilakukan kampanye peningkatan sanitasi serta sosialisasi ke masyarakat terkait risiko penularan hantavirus.

Environmental risk factors for haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in a French new epidemic area

SUMMARYIn France, haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is endemic along the Belgian border. However, this rodent-borne zoonosis caused by the Puumala virus has recently spread south to the Franche-Comté region. We investigated the space–time distribution of HFRS and evaluated the influence of environmental factors that drive the hantavirus reservoir abundance and/or the disease transmission in this area. A scan test clearly indicated space–time clustering, highlighting a single-year (2005) epidemic in the southern part of the region, preceded by a heat-wave 2 years earlier. A Bayesian regression approach showed an association between a variable reflecting biomass (normalized difference vegetation index) and HFRS incidence. The reasons why HFRS cases recently emerged remain largely unknown, and climate parameters alone do not reliably predict outbreaks. Concerted efforts that combine reservoir monitoring, surveillance, and investigation of human cases are warranted to better understand the epidemiological patterns of HFRS in this area.

Barn owl (Tyto alba) predation on small mammals and its role in the control of hantavirus natural reservoirs in a periurban area in southeastern Brazil

The aim of this study was to inventory the species of small mammals in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil, based on regurgitated pellets of the barn owl and to compare the frequency of rodent species in the diet and in the environment. Since in the region there is a high incidence of hantavirus infection, we also evaluate the importance of the barn owl in the control of rodents that transmit the hantavirus. Data on richness and relative abundance of rodents in the municipality were provided by the Centro de Controle de Zoonoses, from three half-yearly samplings with live traps. In total, 736 food items were found from the analysis of 214 pellets and fragments. Mammals corresponded to 86.0% of food items and were represented by one species of marsupial (Gracilinanus agilis) and seven species of rodents, with Calomys tener (70.9%) and Necromys lasiurus (6.7%) being the most frequent. The proportion of rodent species in barn owl pellets differed from that observed in trap samplings, with Calomys expulsus, C. tener and Oligoryzomys nigripes being consumed more frequently than expected. Although restricted to a single place and based on few individuals, the present study allowed the inventory of eight species of small mammals in Uberlândia. The comparison of the relative frequencies of rodent species in the diet and in the environment indicated selectivity. The second most preyed upon species was N. lasiurus, the main hantavirus reservoir in the Cerrado biome. In this way, the barn owl might play an important role in the control of this rodent in the region, contributing to the avoidance of a higher number of cases of hantavirus infection.