Isolation and characterization of hantavirus carried by Apodemus peninsulae in Jilin, China

Abstract

To provide a better understanding of hantavirus epidemiology in China, Korean field mice (Apodemus peninsulae) and striped field mice (Apodemus agrarius) were captured in Jilin province, China, where haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is endemic. Hantavirus antigens were detected in eight of the 130 A. peninsulae individuals and in four of the 193 A. agrarius individuals by using an immunofluorescence assay. Partial S and M segments were amplified from all of the antigen-positive samples. Furthermore, two hantaviruses (CJAp89 and CJAp93) were isolated successfully in cell culture and the entire S and M segments were amplified from one of them (CJAp93). Phylogenetic analysis of these sequences (partial or complete) showed that hantaviruses carried by A. peninsulae and A. agrarius form two distinct lineages, although viruses carried by A. peninsulae are similar to those isolated previously from A. agrarius in China and from HFRS patients in Russia. However, the viruses detected in A. peninsulae in China are genetically different from those detected in A. peninsulae in other countries. These data suggest that A. peninsulae is also a natural host for HTNV in north-eastern China.Haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is an important human disease and 60 000-100 000 hospitalized patients are reported annually worldwide, with the bulk of these cases occurring in China (Johnson, 1999). During the past 10 years, 25 000-60 000 HFRS cases were reported in China annually (Zhang et al., 2004). HFRS is caused by hantavirus, a member of the genus Hantavirus in the family Bunyaviridae. Currently, at least 20 serotypes and genotypes [such as Hantaan virus (HTNV), Dobrava-Belgrade virus (DOBV), Seoul virus (SEOV), Puumala virus (PUUV), Sin Nombre virus (SNV), etc.] of hantavirus have been identified worldwide (Khaiboullina et al., 2005), and each serotype and/or genotype of hantavirus appears to be associated primarily with one (or a few closely related) specific rodent host(s) (Plyusnin & Morzunov, 2001). Several rodent species, such as Apodemus agrarius and Rattus norvegicus, have been identified as hantavirus reservoirs in China (Chen et al., 1986(Chen et al., , 1999Song et al., 1983 Song et al., , 1984Wang et al., 2000).Apodemus peninsulae has been identified as a hantavirus reservoir, and the hantavirus carried by A. peninsulae has been associated with HFRS in the far-east region of Russia (Lokugamage et al., 2002;Yashina et al., 2000). Hantaviruses have also been isolated from A. peninsulae in South Korea (Baek et al., 2006). Characterization of these viruses indicated that hantaviruses carried by A. peninsulae in the far east of Russia and in South Korea are antigenically and genetically distinct from HTNV, which is usually carried by A. agrarius. This led to the suggestion that hantaviruses carried by A. peninsulae could be classified as a novel hantavirus serotype (Baek et al., 2006;Lokugamage et al., 2004). A. peninsulae is distributed widely in China, and is one of the predominant rodent species in f...

Molecular diversity and phylogeny of Hantaan virus in Guizhou, China: evidence for Guizhou as a radiation center of the present Hantaan virus

“…Following radiation of A. peninsulae, this latter group diversified into strain A16 in Shaanxi (Yao et al, 2001a), B78 in Shandong, H5 in Heilongjiang (Liang et al, 1994) and Amur-Soochong viruses in far-eastern Russia (Lokugamage et al, 2004) and South Korea (Baek et al, 2006). As A. agrarius and A. peninsulae are closely related (Liu et al, 2004;Serizawa et al, 2000) and often inhabit the same forest, HTNV is closely associated with both species (Zhang et al, 2007). The ancestor of clade III diversified into groups S2, S3 and S5, and then spread and further diversified following rodent migration to the north and the east.…”

“…The first clade consisted of viruses (group S4) derived only from A. agrarius in Guizhou. The second clade comprised two groups (S1 and S6), derived mainly from humans, A. agrarius and A. peninsulae in north-eastern China (Sun et al, 2001;Wang et al, 2000;Zhang et al, 2007), as well as from far-eastern Russia (Lokugamage et al, 2004) and South Korea (Baek et al, 2006;Lee et al, 1978), both of which share borders with China. The third clade included three groups (S2, S3 and S5), derived mainly from A. agrarius in HFRS endemic areas of China including Guizhou.…”

Hantavirus Infections in Humans and Animals, China

“…Consistent with the geographic distribution of A. agrarius mice, HTNV has been found in all Chinese provinces except Xinjiang ( 11 , 12 , 22 , 28 , 32 ). In addition to A. agrarius mice, HTNV has been also found in Apodemus peninsulae mice in northeastern China ( 33 ). Genetic analysis of the small (S) and medium (M) genome segments suggested that at least 9 distinct lineages of HTNV are circulating in China (Figure 3) ( 11 , 32 ).…”

Isolation and genetic characterization of hantaviruses carried by Microtus voles in China

“…3). Although a particular hantavirus species has been reported to be associated with several closely related host species [Lee and Johnson, 1982;Childs et al, 1994;Plyusnin et al, 1994b;Morzunov et al, 1998;Monroe et al, 1999;Plyusnin and Morzunov, 2001;Sun et al, 2005;Zhang et al, 2007b], there are only a few known cases of one rodent species being the bona fide reservoir host of two distinct hantaviruses . Thus, our results suggest that the reed vole M. fortis is the reservoir host for VLAV (including Fusong strains described here) and M. maximowiczii is the reservoir host of KHAV (including Yakeshi strains described here).…”