Genetic Diversity and Epidemiology of Hantaviruses in Argentina

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 177; no. 3; pp. 529 - 538
• Main Authors: Levis, Silvana, Morzunov, Sergey P., Rowe, Joan E., Enria, Delia, Pini, Noemi, Calderon, Gladys, Sabattini, Martha, St. Jeor, Stephen C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01-03-1998; University of Chicago Press; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Animals; Argentina - epidemiology; Biological and medical sciences; Disease Reservoirs; Epidemiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genomes; Genotypes; Geographic regions; Hantavirus; Hantavirus - classification; Hantavirus - genetics; Hantavirus Infections - epidemiology; Hantavirus Infections - veterinary; Hantavirus Infections - virology; Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome; Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome - epidemiology; Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome - virology; Human genetics; Humans; Major Articles; Medical genetics; Microbiology; Molecular Sequence Data; Muridae - virology; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Rodent Diseases - epidemiology; Rodent Diseases - virology; Rodents; Virology; Viruses; South America; Argentina; America; Human; Rodentia; Reservoir; Genetic diversity; Phylogeny; Epidemiology; Virus; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Bunyaviridae; Animal; Isolate; Hantavirus
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1086/514221

Phylogenetic analysis of a 292-nucleotide (nt) fragment of the hantavirus M genome segment from 36 rodent and 13 human samples from three known foci of hantavirus infection in Argentina was conducted. A 1654-nt fragment of the M genome segment was analyzed for 1 representative of 7 genetically distinct hantavirus lineages identified. Additionally, the nt sequence of the complete M genome segments of Lechiguanas, Oran, and Hu39694 hantavirus genotypes was determined. nt sequence comparisons reveal that 7 hantavirus lineages from Argentina differ from each other by 11.5%–21.8% and from Sin Nombre, Bayou, and Black Creek Canal viruses by 23.8%–26.5%. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrate that they form a unique, separate branch within the clade containing other New World sigmodontine-borne hantaviruses. Most Oligoryzomys-borne hantavirus genotypes clearly map together. The Oligoryzomys-borne genotypes Lechiguanas, Oran, and Andes appear to be associated with human disease. Oligoryzomys longicaudatus was identified as the likely rodent reservoir for Andes virus.