ABSTRACT
Anthropogenic environmental changes arising from settlement and agriculture include deforestation and replacement of natural vegetation by crops providing opportunities for pathogen spillover from animals to humans. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of rodent-borne virus infections in seven rural settlements from Midwestern Brazil. Of the 466 individuals tested 12 (2.57%) were reactive for orthohantavirus and 3 (0.64%) for mammarenavirus. These rural settlers lived under unfavorable infrastructure, socioeconomic disadvantages, and unsanitary conditions, representing a risk for rodent-borne infections. Development of public policies towards the improvement of health, sanitation and awareness of rodent-borne diseases in improvised camps and settlements is imperative, in order to reduce morbidity and mortality caused by these diseases.
Subject(s)
Arenaviridae Infections/epidemiology , Disease Vectors/classification , Hantavirus Infections/epidemiology , Rodentia/virology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Animals , Antibodies, Viral/blood , Arenaviridae Infections/diagnosis , Arenaviridae Infections/transmission , Brazil/epidemiology , Child , Child, Preschool , Cross-Sectional Studies , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Female , Hantavirus Infections/diagnosis , Hantavirus Infections/transmission , Humans , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Male , Middle Aged , Prevalence , Rodentia/classification , Rural Population , Socioeconomic Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) is an emerging rodent-borne disease in the Americas. The most common initial symptoms of HCPS are similar to those of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections that evolve rapidly to respiratory failure, resulting from pulmonary edema and shock in about 40% of cases. We describe a fatal case of HCPS in a 24-year-old man who was hospitalized with fever, hemoconcentration, thrombocytopenia, leukocytosis, dry cough and a bilateral diffuse alveolar pulmonary infiltrate during the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. HCPS needs to be ruled out in patients with clinical manifestations compatible with respiratory infections such as influenza and COVID-19.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Hantavirus Infections , Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome , Orthohantavirus , Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome/diagnosis , Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome/epidemiology , Humans , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The Amazon tropical rainforest has the most dense and diverse ecosystem worldwide. A few studies have addressed rodent-borne diseases as potential hazards to humans in this region. METHODS: A retrospective survey was conducted using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detecting mammarenavirus and orthohantavirus antibodies in 206 samples collected from rural settlers of the Brazilian Western Amazonian region. RESULTS: Six (2.91%) individuals in the age group of 16 to 36 years were found to possess antibodies against mammarenavirus. CONCLUSION: Evidence of previous exposure to mammarenavirus in the rural population points to its silent circulation in this region.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Viral/blood , Arenaviridae Infections/epidemiology , Arenaviridae/immunology , Disease Reservoirs/veterinary , Hepatitis, Viral, Human/epidemiology , Orthohepadnavirus/immunology , Rodentia/virology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Animals , Arenaviridae/classification , Arenaviridae Infections/diagnosis , Arenaviridae Infections/transmission , Brazil/epidemiology , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Hepatitis, Viral, Human/diagnosis , Hepatitis, Viral, Human/transmission , Humans , Infant , Male , Middle Aged , Orthohepadnavirus/classification , Retrospective Studies , Rodentia/classification , Rural Population , Socioeconomic Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
During the Brazilian slavery period, many African migrants were brought to the American continent. Historically, some of these migrants escaped from the Brazilian gold mines and farms to which they had been brought and settled in remote valleys and this was the main mode of resistance to the slavery system. These runaway-slave descendant communities are called quilombos, a group with distinct ethnic identity, specific behavioral habits, including geographic isolation and conservative practices. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of rodent-borne viruses in two Afro-descendent communities from Mato Grosso do Sul State, Midwestern Brazil. A total of 319 individuals from rural and urban quilombola communities were enrolled. Twelve (3.76%) had anti-rodent-borne virus IgG antibodies. Seven (2.19%) were anti-mammarenavirus reactive and nine (2.82%) had anti-orthohantavirus antibodies. The literature includes limited data on the health status of quilombola communities, but all the studies emphasize the disparity of attention of local healthcare personnel to these communities compared to the general population. The findings of this study highlight the vulnerability and the precarious health conditions of quilombola groups, especially those living in rural areas and thus, point to the need of preventive measures to improve access to healthcare for this ethnic group.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Viral/blood , Arenaviridae Infections/epidemiology , Arenaviridae/immunology , Hantavirus Infections/epidemiology , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Orthohantavirus/immunology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Animals , Arenaviridae Infections/diagnosis , Black People , Brazil/epidemiology , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Hantavirus Infections/diagnosis , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Prevalence , Rodentia/virology , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Socioeconomic Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
Mammarenavirus RNA was detected in Musser's bristly mouse (Neacomys musseri) from the Amazon region, and this detection indicated that rodents were infected with a novel mammarenavirus, with the proposed name Xapuri virus (XAPV), which is phylogenetically related to New World Clade B and Clade C viruses. XAPV may represent the first natural reassortment of the Arenaviridae family and a new unrecognized clade within the Tacaribe serocomplex group.
Subject(s)
Arenavirus/classification , Arenavirus/genetics , Arenaviruses, New World/genetics , Genetic Variation , Reassortant Viruses/genetics , Animals , Arenaviridae Infections/epidemiology , Arenaviridae Infections/virology , Brazil/epidemiology , Evolution, Molecular , Genome, Viral , Geography , Nucleic Acid Conformation , Phylogeny , RNA, Viral/chemistry , RNA, Viral/genetics , RodentiaABSTRACT
Abstract INTRODUCTION: The Amazon tropical rainforest has the most dense and diverse ecosystem worldwide. A few studies have addressed rodent-borne diseases as potential hazards to humans in this region. METHODS: A retrospective survey was conducted using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detecting mammarenavirus and orthohantavirus antibodies in 206 samples collected from rural settlers of the Brazilian Western Amazonian region. RESULTS: Six (2.91%) individuals in the age group of 16 to 36 years were found to possess antibodies against mammarenavirus. CONCLUSION: Evidence of previous exposure to mammarenavirus in the rural population points to its silent circulation in this region.