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Effectiveness Regarding Hantavirus Detection in Rodent Tissue Samples and Urine
Mónika Madai1,2, Győző Horváth2, Róbert Herczeg3
1National Laboratory of Virology, BSL-4 Laboratory, Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, H-7624 Pécs, Hungary.
Viruses
|April 3, 2021
Summary
Hantavirus detection in rodents is most effective in kidney tissue, not urine. This study highlights optimal methods for identifying hantavirus (Orthohantavirus) in rodent populations to understand disease transmission.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Virology
- Zoonotic Disease Epidemiology
- Molecular Diagnostics
Background:
- Orthohantaviruses, carried by rodents, soricomorphs, and bats, pose significant global health risks, causing severe human diseases.
- These viruses are shed persistently by infected animals through urine, saliva, and feces, facilitating environmental contamination and transmission.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of hantavirus detection methods in rodent tissue and urine samples.
- To identify the most effective sample types for diagnosing hantavirus infections in naturally infected rodents.
Main Methods:
- Rodents were trapped in Hungary, and lung, liver, kidney, and urine samples were collected from 163 individuals.
- Nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (nRT-PCR) was used for viral nucleic acid detection in all samples.
- Western blot assays were employed to detect IgG antibodies against Dobrava-Belgrade virus (DOBV) and Puumala virus (PUUV).
Main Results:
- Hantavirus nucleic acid or antibodies were detected in 15.3% of the animals.
- Dobrava-Belgrade virus (DOBV), Puumala virus (PUUV), and Tula virus (TULV) were identified in Apodemus, Myodes, and Microtus species.
- Kidney tissue yielded the highest detection rate (100%) for viral nucleic acid among PCR-positive samples, compared to lung tissue (55%).
- Only 3 out of 20 urine samples were positive by nRT-PCR, and five rodents were seropositive with no detectable viral nucleic acid.
Conclusions:
- Kidney tissue is the most sensitive sample type for detecting hantavirus infections in rodents via molecular methods.
- Urine samples showed limited utility for nRT-PCR-based hantavirus detection in this study.
- Serological testing can identify exposure, but negative nucleic acid results in other tissues warrant further investigation.
