Dataset Information

Person-to-Person Transmission of Andes Virus in Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Argentina, 2014.

ABSTRACT: Andes virus is unique among hantaviruses because it can be transmitted from person to person. This mechanism was previously supported by epidemiologic data and genetic evidence based only on partial sequences. We used full-length virus sequencing to confirm person-to-person transmission of this virus in a cluster of 3 cases in Argentina in 2014.

SUBMITTER: Alonso DO

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7101103 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Person-to-Person Transmission of Andes Virus in Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Argentina, 2014.

Alonso Daniel O DO Pérez-Sautu Unai U Bellomo Carla M CM Prieto Karla K Iglesias Ayelén A Coelho Rocío R Periolo Natalia N Domenech Isabel I Talmon Gabriel G Hansen Romina R Palacios Gustavo G Martinez Valeria P VP

Emerging infectious diseases 20200401 4

Andes virus is unique among hantaviruses because it can be transmitted from person to person. This mechanism was previously supported by epidemiologic data and genetic evidence based only on partial sequences. We used full-length virus sequencing to confirm person-to-person transmission of this virus in a cluster of 3 cases in Argentina in 2014. ...[more]

PMID: 32186494

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Project description:BackgroundRodent-borne hantaviruses (genus Orthohantavirus) are the etiologic agents causing two human diseases: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Euroasia; and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in North and South America. In South America fatality rates of HPS can reach up to 35%-50%. The transmission of pathogenic hantaviruses to humans occurs mainly via inhalation of aerosolized excreta from infected rodents. Thus, the epidemiology of HPS is necessarily linked to the ecology of their rodent hosts and the contact with a human, which in turn may be influenced by climatic variability. Here we examined the relationship between climatic variables and hantavirus transmission aim to develop an early warning system of potential hantavirus outbreaks based on ecologically relevant climatic factors.Methodology and main findingsWe compiled reported HPS cases in northwestern Argentina during the 1997-2017 period and divided our data into biannual, quarterly, and bimestrial time periods to allow annual and shorter time delays to be observed. To evaluate the relationship of hantavirus transmission with mean temperature and precipitation we used dynamic regression analysis. We found a significant association between HPS incidence and lagged rainfall and temperature with a delay of 2 to 6 months. For the biannual and quarterly models, hantavirus transmission was positively associated with lagged rainfall and temperature; whereas the bimestrial models indicate a direct relationship with the rainfall but inverse for temperature in the second lagged period.Conclusions/significanceThis work demonstrates that climate variability plays a significant role in the transmission of hantavirus in northwestern Argentina. The model developed in this study provides a basis for the forecast of potential HPS outbreaks based on climatic parameters. Our findings are valuable for the development of public health policies and prevention strategies to mitigate possible outbreaks. Nonetheless, a surveillance program on rodent population dynamics would lead to a more accurate forecast of HPS outbreaks.

Project description:We performed whole-genome sequencing with bait enrichment techniques to analyze Andes virus (ANDV), a cause of human hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. We used cryopreserved lung tissues from a naturally infected long-tailed colilargo, including early, intermediate, and late cell culture, passages of an ANDV isolate from that animal, and lung tissues from golden hamsters experimentally exposed to that ANDV isolate. The resulting complete genome sequences were subjected to detailed comparative genomic analysis against American orthohantaviruses. We identified four amino acid substitutions related to cell culture adaptation that resulted in attenuation of ANDV in the typically lethal golden hamster animal model of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Changes in the ANDV nucleocapsid protein, glycoprotein, and small nonstructural protein open reading frames correlated with mutations typical for ANDV strains associated with increased virulence in the small-animal model. Finally, we identified three amino acid substitutions, two in the small nonstructural protein and one in the glycoprotein, that were only present in the clade of viruses associated with efficient person-to-person transmission. Our results indicate that there are single-nucleotide polymorphisms that could be used to predict strain-specific ANDV virulence and/or transmissibility. IMPORTANCE Several orthohantaviruses cause the zoonotic disease hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the Americas. Among them, HPS caused by Andes virus (ANDV) is of great public health concern because it is associated with the highest case fatality rate (up to 50%). ANDV is also the only orthohantavirus associated with relatively robust evidence of person-to-person transmission. This work reveals nucleotide changes in the ANDV genome that are associated with virulence attenuation in an animal model and increased transmissibility in humans. These findings may pave the way to early severity predictions in future ANDV-caused HPS outbreaks.

Dataset Information

Person-to-Person Transmission of Andes Virus in Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Argentina, 2014.

Publications

Person-to-Person Transmission of Andes Virus in Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Argentina, 2014.

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