Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome: Report of the first three cases in São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

The hantavirus pulmonary syndrome was first recognized in cases that occurred in the U.S. in 1993, which served as an alert not only for American physicians but also for physicians in other countries for the identification of the disease. In the city of São Paulo, Brazil, 3 cases of the syndrome were recorded in 1993. The patients were young brothers residing in the Mata Atlântica (Atlantic Forest) region submitted to recent deforestation. Two of the patients died of acute respiratory insufficiency and the third recovered without sequelae. In the surviving patient the diagnosis was established by a laboratory criterion based on the detection of specific IgM and IgG class antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence. In the two patients who died, the diagnosis was confirmed by laboratory tests using immunoperoxidase technique for hantavirus in tissue, in histological lung and heart sections in one case, and by clinical and epidemiological data in the other.

An Outbreak of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Chile, 1997

“…In Latin America, endemic HPS and epidemics have been reported in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay (15)(16)(17)(18)(19). Sporadic cases and SNV-like viral sequences have been reported in these countries and in Bolivia and Uruguay (P. Padula, pers.…”

Mudanças no Código Florestal e seu impacto na ecologia e diversidade dos mamíferos no Brasil

“…Não só a maioria das espécies florestais já foram extintas, como os remanescentes destas paisagens altamente desmatadas são dominadas por espécies generalistas, como Oligoryzomys nigripes (Pardini et al no prelo), principal reservatório do vírus responsável pela hantavirose humana na Mata Atlântica (Suzuki et al 2004). Não por coincidência, alguns casos de hantavirose fatais em humanos têm sido registrados em áreas onde houve recente desmatamento (Silva et al 1997). Este estudo indica que a mudança do Código Florestal e a consequente redução das RLs levarão a perdas bruscas, provavelmente não reversíveis, de biodiversidade nas paisagens modificadas pelo homem com consequências graves para serviços ecossistêmicos mediados por essa biodiversidade, como o controle do risco de doenças (Pardini et al no prelo).…”

Hantaviruses as emergent zoonoses

“…The infection occurs mainly when persons inhale aerosol containing the agent. There are other forms of transmission, less important, such as rodent bites, the ingestion of food contaminated with infected rodent feces or urine, and also contact with a viruscontaminated site followed by application of the hand to the nose or mouth (22,25,26 Certain professional groups are more affected by hantavirus diseases, such as farmers, agronomists, veterinarians, zootechnists, geologists, civil construction workers (who operate in rural areas) and biologists (at least those devoted to the study of small mammals) (22). The professionals who work in activities like deforestation and reforestation are also exposed to wild reservoirs that eliminate the virus in the environment, in tents or in buildings used as accommodation.…”

“…In Maranhão, a water-dwelling rodent, belonging to the Holochilus genus, was identified as being Brazilian virus has been known as Juquitiba (26). From that moment on, other cases of hantavirus infection have been described in various Brazilian states (Table 2).…”

“…In Brazil, the viruses identified were: Juquitiba (26), Araraquara, and Castelo dos Sonhos (16). In 2000, two new viruses were isolated in Maranhão State, by the Evandro Chagas Institute, in Belém, Pará State.…”