Scapteromys aquaticus: A new rodent host species for orthohantavirus from central Argentina

RICARDO, TAMARA; BELLOMO, CARLA M.; MARTÍNEZ, VALERIA P.; COELHO, ROCIO M.; BERGERO, LAURA C.; PREVITALI, M. ANDREA

Congreso; 100th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists; 2021

American Society of Mammalogists

Wild rodents are reservoirs of orthohantaviruses, the etiologic agents of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Central Argentina is an endemic area for HPS, with case-fatality rates ranging from 24 to 31%. In this region, three pathogenic orthohantaviruses have been identified, however their association with rodent reservoir species has not been fully resolved. Recently, reports of HPS cases in the center/northern part of the province of Santa Fe are rising.The objective of this study was to determine infections with orthohantavirus in rodents from three riverside communities located near the city of Santa Fe in the floodplain of the Paraná river. Each community was divided into three environmental settings based on the level of human disturbance, and in each we established a grid with 25 trapping stations that was sampled during two springs and one autumn. We used an ELISA to detect antibodies against orthohantavirus in serum samples. We captured 119 rodents of seven native species (five sigmodontines and one caviomorph) and three introduced murid species. We analyzed serum of 102 of them, and found 9 seropositive individuals, all Scapteromys aquaticus, representing a seroprevalence of 17.3% for this species. Two of these individuals were previously found to be seropositive for Leptospira. Our findings describe a new host species of an unknown orthohantavirus that might be a potential source of HPS in human populations in Santa Fe.