Species of the genus Oligoryzomys are commonly found accross Latin America, and several of them play important rolesas natural reservoirs of Hantaviruses. Here we demonstrate that O. utiaritensis, the natural reservoir of hantavirus Castelodos Sonhos in northwestwern Brazil and previously considered a junior synonym of O. nigripes or O. eliurus, is a validspecies. Morphology, morphometry, karyotyping, and phylogenetic reconstructions based on nuclear (intron 7 of the beta-fibrinogen gene) and mitochondrial (cytochrome b) DNA show that O. utiaritensis differs from O. nigripes and from otherforms of the genus, including the recently described taxon O. moojeni. Oligoryzomys utiaritensis differs in external (whit-ish ventral pelage and tail weakly bicolored) and cranial (incisive foramina never extending posteriorly the alveolus lineof M1) characters from sympatric species. It has the highest diploid number (2n=72) within Oligoryzomys, and is charac-terized by three putative synapomorphies in cytochrome b, and one in intron 7 of beta fibrinogen. We also point to theassignment of Oligoryzomys eliurus as a junior synonym of O. nigripes. Finally, we present phylogenetic analyses of in-trageneric relationships showing that O. utiaritensis is a member of a clade containing Amazonian and Cerrado taxa, including O. moojeni, O. rupestris, and O. delicatus.

We describe evidence of circulation of hantaviruses in the influence area of the Santarém-Cuiabá Highway (BR-163) in the Brazilian Amazon through the prevalence of specific antibodies against hantaviruses in inhabitants living in four municipalities of this area: Novo Progresso (2.16%) and Trairão (4.37%), in state of Pará (PA), and Gua-rantã do Norte (4.74%) and Marcelândia (9.43%), in state of Mato Grosso. We also demonstrate the ongoing association between Castelo dos Sonhos virus (CASV) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) cases in the Castelo dos Sonhos district (municipality of Altamira, PA) and the first report of CASV in the municipalities of Novo Progresso and Guarantã do Norte. The results of this work highlight the risk for a possible increase in the number of HPS cases and the emergence of new hantavirus lineages associated with deforestation in this Amazonian area after the conclusion of paving works on BR-163 Highway

We associated Laguna Negra virus with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in Mato Grosso State, Brazil, and a previously unidentified potential host, the Calomys callidus rodent. Genetic testing revealed homologous sequencing in specimens from 20 humans and 8 mice. Further epidemiologic studies may lead to control of HPS in Mato Grosso State.

To study the dynamics of wild rodent populations and identify potential hosts for hantavirus, we conducted an eco-epidemiologic study in Campo Novo do Parecis, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. We detected and genetically characterized Castelo dos Sonhos virus found in a species of pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys utiaritensis).

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