Evidence of hantavirus infection among bats in Brazil

Gilberto Sabino-Santos, Felipe Gonçalves Motta Maia, Thallyta Maria Vieira, Renata De Lara Muylaert, Sabrina Miranda Lima, Cristieli Barros Gonçalves, Patricia Doerl Barroso, Maria Norma Melo, Colleen B. Jonsson, Douglas Goodin, Jorge Salazar-Bravo, Luiz Tadeu Moraes Figueiredo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses harbored by rodents, bats, and shrews. At present, only rodent-borne hantaviruses are associated with severe illness in humans. New species of hantaviruses have been recently identified in bats and shrews greatly expanding the potential reservoirs and ranges of these viruses. Brazil has one of the highest incidences of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome in South America, hence it is critical to know what is the prevalence of hantaviruses in Brazil. Although much is known about rodent reservoirs, little is known regarding bats. We captured 270 bats from February 2012 to April 2014. Serum was screened for the presence of antibodies against a recombinant nucleoprotein (rN) of Araraquara virus (ARAQV). The prevalence of antibody to hantavirus was 9/53 with an overall seroprevalence of 17%. Previous studies have shown only insectivorous bats to harbor hantavirus; however, in our study, of the nine seropositive bats, five were frugivorous, one was carnivorous, and three were sanguivorous phyllostomid bats.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)404-406
Number of pages3
JournalAmerican Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume93
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 1 2015

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