Seroepidemiological study on hantavirus infections in India

Hantaviruses are etiological agents of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in many parts of Asia and Europe. There has been no documented case of hantavirus disease from India, although serological evidence exists. We investigated the prevalence of hantavirus in the Indian population and tried to identify potential risk groups for hantavirus infections. The presence of hantavirus-specific IgG antibodies was prospectively evaluated in 661 subjects belonging to different groups, i.e. patients with chronic renal disease, warehouse workers and tribal members engaged in rodent trapping. Healthy volunteer blood donors were included as a control group. Thirty-eight seropositive samples were found using a combination of a commercial ELISA followed by an indirect immunofluorescence assay. Western blot using recombinant Hantaan virus nucleocapsid antigen confirmed the presence of anti-hantavirus IgG in 28 (74%) of the 38 sera tested. This study confirms the presence of hantaviruses in India and warrants increasing awareness of the problems of emerging pathogens and the threats they may pose to the public health system.