ABSTRACT
In 2000, the first outbreak of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome was recognized in the Brazilian Amazon (Maranhao State). An epidemiologic study identified a 13.3% prevalence of hantavirus-specific immunoglobulin G. The analysis of risk factors suggests that persons are occupationally exposed to infected rodents in the crop fields.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Viral/blood , Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome/epidemiology , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Orthohantavirus/immunology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Agriculture , Animals , Brazil/epidemiology , Female , Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome/virology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Occupational Exposure , Prevalence , Risk Factors , Rodent Diseases/virology , Rodentia/virologyABSTRACT
The authors report a confirmed case of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the rural area of the municipality of Anajatuba, state of Maranhäo. Two other suspected cases from the same region are also described. The confirmed case involved a previously healthy young woman who died with signs and symptoms of acute respiratory insufficiency 5 days after presenting fever, myalgia and a dry cough. The patient was a student who was helping her parents with work in the fields; it was a habit of the family to store rice inside the house. The suspected cases involved two first-degree relatives working as field hands who died of acute respiratory insufficiency 24 and 48 hours, respectively, after presenting fever, myalgia and a dry cough. Both stored rice and corn inside their home. People living in the region reported massive infestations with rats in the woods and fields
