Prevalence of Antibodies against Hantaviruses in Serum and Saliva of Adults Living or Working on Farms in Yorkshire, United Kingdom

Abstract

Hantaviruses are an established cause of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Europe. Following a confirmed case of HFRS in the UK, in an individual residing on a farm in North Yorkshire and the Humber, a tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England, and the subsequent isolation of a Seoul hantavirus from rats trapped on the patient’s farm, it was considered appropriate to further investigate the public health risk of this virus in the region. Of a total 119 individuals tested, nine (7.6%) were seropositive for hantavirus antibodies. Seven of the seropositive samples showed a stronger reaction to Seoul and Hantaan compared to other clinically relevant hantaviruses. Observation of rodents during the day, in particular mice, was associated with a reduced risk of seropositivity. In addition to one region known to be at risk following an acute case, five further potential risk areas have been identified. This study supports recently published evidence that hantaviruses are likely to be of public health interest in the region.

Reply to Comment Clement et al.: (Prevalence of Antibodies against Hantaviruses in Serum and Saliva of Adults Living or Working on Farms in Yorkshire, United Kingdom)

“…While acknowledging the concerns of Clements et al , we stand by the key findings and design of our study, which has provided new data on the seroprevalence of hantavirus infection in a farming community in which the first molecularly confirmed case in the UK had recently been detected [2]. More detailed studies logically follow on from these preliminary findings and are now in progress.…”

“…We acknowledge Clement and colleagues for their comments [1] on our paper [2]. We agree that many controversies are being discussed by the hantavirus community, particularly surrounding the interpretation of serological results and the designation of new species and strains.…”

Prevalence ofLeptospiraspp. and Seoul hantavirus in brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) in four regions in the Netherlands, 2011-2015

“…In Europe, a few severe clinical human cases of SEOV infections have been confirmed in the UK and France, where the source of infection was established as pet rats [18,19]. Furthermore, a serosurvey among farmers exposed to wild rats showed a seroprevalence of 8% in the UK [20]. Since 2000, the presence of SEOV in wild brown rats was demonstrated in Belgium, France and the UK [18,21–23].…”

Retrieval of the Complete Coding Sequence of the UK-Endemic Tatenale Orthohantavirus Reveals Extensive Strain Variation and Supports Its Classification as a Novel Species

“…There is serological evidence of human infection with PUUV-or SNV-like viruses in the UK [29], though there has been no molecular evidence of these viruses in either humans or rodents. A previous study has reported that blood from a vole infected with TATV B41 is cross-reactive with PUUV, which suggests that PUUV/SNV seropositive humans may have been the result of TATV infection [20].…”