[Identification of a new Puumala hantavirus subtype in rodents from China]

In order to detect the nucleic acid of Puumala hantavirus, RNA was extracted from lungs of bank voles captured in Northeast China, and partial S and M genome segments of Puumala virus were amplified by RT-PCR and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that Chinese Puumala virus had diverged from the common node of PUUV, with accumulating nucleotide substitutions and formed a distinct lineage from other Puumala viruses. Newly found Puumala virus was most closely related to the Kamiiso-8Cr-95 and Tobetsu-60Cr-93 strains which came from Japan and the muju strains which came from South Korea. By analysis of S and M genome segments of Puumala virus, we deduced a new Puumala virus subtype did exist in Northeast China.