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Published on: December 3, 2011
Puumala virus outbreak in Western Thuringia, Germany, 2010: epidemiology and strain identification
M Faber1, T Wollny, M Schlegel
1Department for Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
Zoonoses and Public Health
|February 13, 2013
Summary
A 2010 Puumala virus (PUUV) outbreak in western Germany saw a 5-fold increase in human infections. Investigations revealed a novel PUUV subtype in rodents, distinct from other German strains.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Virology
- Ecology
Background:
- Germany reported a record number of Puumala virus (PUUV) infections in 2010, with a notable increase in western Thuringia.
- Hantavirus surveillance in Germany began in 2001, making the 2010 figures the highest recorded annual case numbers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the epidemiological situation of increased hantavirus cases in western Thuringia in 2010.
- To identify the specific Puumala virus (PUUV) strain responsible for the outbreak through integrated human and rodent reservoir analysis.
Main Methods:
- Combined human case-based hantavirus surveillance data with serological and molecular investigations of the rodent population.
- Analyzed geographical distribution of human cases in relation to forest patches and conducted genetic analysis of the Puumala virus (PUUV) in rodents.
Main Results:
- Western Thuringia experienced a 5-fold increase in hantavirus cases in 2010 compared to previous maximums.
- Human infections clustered geographically around beech-dominated forest areas.
- A novel Puumala virus (PUUV) subtype, distinct from other German strains, was identified in the rodent reservoir.
Conclusions:
- The 2010 outbreak in western Thuringia was associated with a distinct, novel Puumala virus (PUUV) subtype.
- Puumala virus (PUUV) has likely been endemic in the affected western Thuringia regions for an extended period.
- Further research is required to understand rodent population dynamics, hantavirus prevalence, and ecological drivers in the region.
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