Prevalence of antibody to hantaviruses in humans and rodents in the Caribbean region of Colombia determined using Araraquara and Maciel virus antigens

Diagnosis of hantavirus infection in humans

“…In 2013, we detected IgG antibodies to Maciel or Araraquara hantaviruses in 8.4% of 286 agricultural workers in Colombia [2]. These prevalences are much higher than those found in serosurveys in North America.…”

“…In Brazil, Figueiredo et al [24,27] produced a recombinant N protein from Araraquara virus, which is being used as an ELISA antigen (TABLE 2). In Argentina, Maciel virus, which is not known to be pathogenic, has been cultured for use in serodiagnosis; Maciel virus is cross-reactive with all recognized New World hantaviruses [2].…”

“…Other than being rural workers, the Colombian volunteers did not have specific occupational risks. This suggests that rural workers in northwestern Colombia are frequently exposed to one or more hantaviruses [2]. Seoul HFRS Worldwide Rattus norvegicus [44] Puumula Nephropathia epidemica (mild form of HFRS)…”

“…Diseases compatible with HFRS were recognized as early as 1930 in China and Russia, but the first isolation of a causative agent did not occur until Hantaan virus was isolated in Korea [1]. Since HPS was initially characterized in the USA in 1993, and since the associated hantavirus (Sin Nombre virus [SNV]) was identified, increasing numbers of human cases and SNV-related viruses have been identified in most countries of North and South America [2]. There have been more than 640 HPS cases in the USA with a fatality rate of 36% (http://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/ surveillance/index.html).…”

“…In South America, hantaviruses have been described from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela [3][4][5][6][7]; in sum, all South American countries except for Ecuador, Surinam and Guyana. In Central America, hantaviruses are described from Panama, Honduras and Costa Rica [2,[8][9][10]. Recently, antigenically and genetically distinct hantaviruses have been described from shrews, moles and bats [11][12][13][14][15].…”