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Emerging Mammarenaviruses in Wildlife: Expanding Host Range and Implications

Barbara Di Martino1, Matteo Carnevale1, Lorenzo Corsi1

  • 1Department of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Teramo, Località Piano D'Accio, 64100 Teramo, Italy.

Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI
|July 28, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Mammarenaviruses are expanding beyond rodents, with new viruses found in shrews, pikas, and hedgehogs globally. This highlights the urgent need for broad, multi-host surveillance to track these dangerous pathogens.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Epidemiology
  • Zoonotic Diseases

Background:

  • Mammarenaviruses are RNA viruses causing severe human diseases like hemorrhagic fevers and neurological disorders.
  • Traditionally, muroid rodents are known reservoirs, but recent findings indicate a broader host range.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To synthesize global data on mammarenavirus epidemiology in both traditional and novel mammalian hosts.
  • To review the emergence of new arenaviruses in non-traditional hosts.

Main Methods:

  • Comprehensive analysis of global molecular and metagenomic surveillance data.
  • Review of evolutionary studies and epidemiological reports.
  • Synthesis of recent published worldwide data.

Main Results:

  • Identified Wenzhou virus in Asian house shrews.
  • Discovered Plateau Pika virus in plateau pikas.
  • Documented hedgehog-associated arenaviruses across Europe.

Conclusions:

  • Mammarenaviruses exhibit a global distribution across diverse mammalian hosts.
  • There is a critical need for ongoing, multi-host surveillance to monitor these zoonotic pathogens.
Keywords:
Arenaviridaenon-rodent small mammal hostsnovel mammarenavirusesspillover riskwild animalszoonoses

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