Pinhal virus, a new arenavirus isolated from calomys tener in Brazil

Arenavirus Sabiá was originally isolated from a fatal human infection in Brazil, and after the occurrence of the second fatal human case in São Paulo state, epidemiologic and virologic studies were performed in the area where the patient lived, aiming at the identification of the Sabiá natural rodent reservoir. A broadly cross-reactive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to screen for antibody-positive samples. Antibodies to arenavirus were detected in two of the 55 samples of Calomys tener, and from these results, samples of rodents were analyzed by a broad RT-PCR assay. RT-PCR amplification detected arenavirus sequences in five of the 55 C. tener samples, and sequencing showed that this virus is a distinct form of Sabiá virus. Thus, we describe here the evidence for the circulation of a new arenavirus in Brazil (proposed name Pinhal virus) and its genetic characterization compared to other arenaviruses. This study also suggests C. tener as a probable rodent reservoir for this virus and associates this new virus with the lineage C of New World arenaviruses. Although we have defined some characteristics of this virus, so far, there is no evidence of its involvement in human disease.

Improvement of the slide hemagglutination test for rapid Chagas' disease screening in epidemiological surveys

A slide hemagglutination test, here called SHAT, which is practical and economical for seroepidemiological surveys was standardized. This is an improved modification of the rapid hemagglutination test (RHA) which utilizes a short-lived reagent prepared with fresh blood cells. The reagent and conditions of the test were considerably modified and, most importantly, an alkaline-solubilized Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigote antigen reagent is proposed. The stability of the SHAT reagent was at least one year at 4 degrees Celsius, in an appropriate liquid suspension. The SHAT was applied to 71 serum samples from patients with Chagas' disease and from 235 clinically healthy blood donors. Sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values for the selected cutoff titer corresponding to 1:4 dilution were 0.972 (0.903-0.992)9 O.983 (O.957-0.993) 0.945 (O.867-0.979) and O.991 (O.969-0.998), respectively. These values were comparable to those found for the RHA, immunofluorescence (IFT), indirect hemagglutination (IHAT) and complement fixation (CFT) tests. These data suggest that the SHAT should be useful for seroepidemiological surveys conducted at public health laboratories in developing countries.