Genetic Identification of a New Hantavirus Causing Severe Pulmonary Syndrome in Argentina

Abstract

A fatal case of serologically confirmed hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) was recently reported in southwestern Argentina. Nucleotide sequence analysis of PCR fragments from conserved regions of the S and M genomic segments of the virus, amplified from RNA extracted from autopsy lung and liver tissues, showed the virus (referred as Andes virus) to be novel. Comparisons between Andes virus genome sequences with the corresponding sequences of the more closely related hantaviruses revealed differences at the amino acid level from 13.6 to 23.9% for G2 protein regions and from 8.5 to 12.5% for the amino terminal region of the nucleocapsid protein. Phylogenetic analysis using the maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood methods showed that Andes virus maps within the clade containing the HPS-associated viruses from North America. Within this group, Andes virus represents a unique lineage. This is, to our knowledge, the first report on the genetic characterization of a hantavirus from South America.

An Outbreak of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Chile, 1997

“…Immunohistochemical analysis for hantaviral antigens was performed by using a cross-reactive monoclonal antibody directed against conserved hantaviral nucleocapsid epitopes (12). Specimens from HPS patients were also examined for viral genetic materials (M and S segment) by nested and heminested RT-PCR from either autopsied tissues or blood clot samples (13,14). Genetic sequencing of RT-PCR products derived from patient samples was also performed.…”

Development and evaluation of a solid-phase enzyme immunoassay based on Andes hantavirus recombinant nucleoprotein

“…In phylogenetic analysis, all viruses associated with cases of HPS from Argentina [6,19], Chile [20], Paraguay [21] and Uruguay (P. J. Padula, unpublished observations) and sigmodontine-related virus from Bolivia [22,23], clustered together with Andes virus [24] and some North American viruses like Sin Nombre (SN) [2,25], Bayou (BAY) [26] or Black Creek Canal (BCC) [27].…”

Prevalence of infection with hantavirus in rodent populations of central Argentina

“…In Argentina, the first cases of HPS were recorded and characterized in 1995 in the Southwest (López et al 1996). Nowadays, the occurrence of cases is concentrated in three geographically isolated areas: North (Salta and Jujuy provinces), Center (Buenos Aires, Santa Fe and Entre Ríos provinces), and Southwest (Neuquén and Río Negro provinces).…”

“…In an extensive study conducted in sites were HPS cases occurred, many sigmodontine species were found infected with hantavirus, with seroprevalences which varied between 1.5 and 10.2%, depending on the area and species (Calderón et al 1999, Cantoni et al 2001. López et al (1996López et al ( , 1997 described the virus associated to HPS cases in Argentina, Andes virus (AND), as a new type of hantavirus. This virus circulates in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay with different lineages that are characteristics of the different areas (Padula et al 2000a).…”