Spatial-Temporal Distribution of Hantavirus Rodent-Borne Infection by Oligoryzomys fulvescens in the Agua Buena Region - Panama

Abstract

BackgroundHotspot detection and characterization has played an increasing role in understanding the maintenance and transmission of zoonotic pathogens. Identifying the specific environmental factors (or their correlates) that influence reservoir host abundance help increase understanding of how pathogens are maintained in natural systems and are crucial to identifying disease risk. However, most recent studies are performed at macro-scale and describe broad temporal patterns of population abundances. Few have been conducted at a microscale over short time periods that better capture the dynamical patterns of key populations. These finer resolution studies may better define the likelihood of local pathogen persistence. This study characterizes the landscape distribution and spatio-temporal dynamics of Oligoryzomys fulvescens (O. fulvescens), an important mammalian reservoir in Central America.MethodsInformation collected in a longitudinal study of rodent populations in the community of Agua Buena in Tonosí, Panama, between April 2006 and December 2009 was analyzed using non-spatial analyses (box plots) and explicit spatial statistical tests (correlograms, SADIE and LISA). A 90 node grid was built (raster format) to design a base map. The area between the nodes was 0.09 km2 and the total study area was 6.43 km2 (2.39 x 2.69 km). The temporal assessment dataset was divided into four periods for each year studied: the dry season, rainy season, and two months-long transitions between seasons (the months of April and December).ResultsThere were heterogeneous patterns in the population densities and degrees of dispersion of O. fulvescens that varied across seasons and among years. The species typically was locally absent during the late transitional months of the season, and re-established locally in subsequent years. These populations re-occurred in the same area during the first three years but subsequently re-established further south in the final year of the study. Spatial autocorrelation analyses indicated local populations encompassed approximately 300–600 m. The borders between suitable and unsuitable habitats were sharply demarcated over short distances.ConclusionOligoryzomys fulvescens showed a well-defined spatial pattern that evolved over time, and led to a pattern of changing aggregation. Thus, hot spots of abundance showed a general shifting pattern that helps explain the intermittent risk from pathogens transmitted by this species. This variation was associated with seasonality, as well as anthropogenic pressures that occurred with agricultural activities. These factors help define the characteristics of the occurrence, timing, intensity and duration of synanthropic populations affected by human populations and, consequently, possible exposure that local human populations experience.

The ecological dynamics of hantavirus diseases: From environmental variability to disease prevention largely based on data from China

“…In the preceding sections, we have summarized the ecological factors and processes that affect hantavirus diseases dynamics; hereafter, anthropological factors will be reviewed, including agricultural activity, human-driven land-use change, and vaccination. In HPS endemic regions of America, agriculture-associated activities were also most commonly reported as potential risk factors [94–97], and seropositive rodents were found with high frequency in agricultural landscapes [98,99]. In the HTNV-type endemic area of central China, seasonal pattern of HFRS dynamics is found to coincide with the increase in potential contact between rodents and humans in the dry season due to seasonal agricultural activities [45,100].…”

Home range variability, spatial aggregation, and excursions of Akodon azarae and Oligoryzomys flavescens in Pampean agroecosystems

“…Spatial aggregation is another relevant aspect of infection dynamics in host populations (Armién et al 2016). The rate of encounters among individuals as well as the likelihood of exposure to the virus in the environment is expected to be enhanced under aggregation and, conversely, reduced when overlap is minimized.…”

The Bibliometric Landscape of Infectious Disease Research in Panama (1990 - 2019): An Evaluation of the Country’s Capability on One Health

“…To be successful though, this proposal needs to involve a synergistic collaboration among SENACYT, MINSA, MIDA and researchers from various Panamanian institutions with strongly complementary research traditions and strengths [26,59]. However, the rates of multidisciplinary, inter-institutional and inter-sectoral research in Panama are moderate to low, and very low, respectively, which means that the links among academic institutions and between them and uncovered key ndings about Orthohantavirus choclo, identi ed as the cause of cardiopulmonary syndrome in Panama [64,65], the ecology of the main reservoir Oligoryzomys fulvescens (= costaricensis) [38,66,67] and the epidemiology of an important neglected zoonosis [68,69]. This ongoing effort has strengthened the national diagnostic capacity by MINSA, MIDA and Caja de Seguro Social (CSS), trained a signi cant number of young scientists, and helped establish a sentinel surveillance protocol and prepare an educational guide to sensitize affected communities and decision makers [8].…”

“…Panama, a megadiverse tropical country from Central America, has a long history of successful research initiatives that led to the control of infectious diseases, dating back to the construction of the Panama Canal [27,28]. However, the threat from novel pathogens has increased in recent years due to a rise in the worldwide shipping trade [29,30], uncontrolled urban development and social inequality [6][7][8]31], climate change [32][33][34], and anthropogenic habitat disturbance [35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44]. In particular, this ecological scenario can lead to the emergence of new pathogens from animals into people, which could then rapidly spread across the world to cause regional epidemics throughout LAC [17,45].…”