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Evidence of Hantavirus Infection Among Bats in Brazil
Gilberto Sabino-Santos1, Felipe Gonçalves Motta Maia2, Thallyta Maria Vieira2
1Center for Virology Research, School of Medicine in Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil; Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Department of Ecology, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, Brazil; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Louisville Center for Predictive Medicine for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Louisville, Kentucky; Department of Microbiology, National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, Knoxville, Tennessee; Department of Geography, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas; Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas sabinogsj@usp.br.
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.
