Síndrome pulmonar por hantavirus: situación de los roedores reservorios y la población humana en la décima región, Chile / Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome: current situation among rodent reservoirs and human population in the X region, Chile

In Chile, three Hantavirus seropositive rodent species (O longicaudatus, A olivaceus and A longipilis) are distributed from the Pacific coast to the Andes mountains and represent nearly 90 percent of the rodents captured in the Xth Region. Aim: To study the seroprevalence of Hantavirus among captured rodent species and its relationship with the appearance of human cases of pulmonary syndrome. Material and methods: From May 1998 to September 2001, 675 rodents were captured in the region. Serum samples were tested by ELISA for the presence of IgG antibodies against Andes and Sin Nombre virus. Sera from human cases with a suspected Hantavirus infection were analyzed for IgM antibodies against Black Lagoon virus and for IgG antibodies against Andes and Sin Nombre virus. Results: Twenty two of the 675 rodents were seropositive for the virus, 18 O longicaudatus and 4 A longipilis. Regional seroprevalence changed from 2.2 percent in 1998, 0.0 percent in 1999, 1.0 percent in 2000 and up to 7.1 percent in 2001. A total of 77 positive human cases were studied from 1998 to March 2002. Although there were positive cases in all seasons, data showed a spring-summer seasonal preponderance. A relationship between the flowering of "colihue" bushes and the increased values of rodent abundance, seroprevalence and positive animals was established. Conclusions: A dispersal movement of O longicaudatus to open habitats close to human outdoor activities during the dry season was confirmed

Ecología de los reservorios silvestres de hantavirus en Chile / Ecology of wild reservoires for hantavirus in Chile

El brote de casos humanos con síndrome pulmonar por hantavirus SPH, en la región de Aysén en 1997, centró la atención en sus potenciales reservorios de roedores presentes en Chile. Información sobre la ecología de estos micromamíferos tal como su distribución geográfica, características del hábitat, abundancia poblacional y alimentación, proporciona elementos de juicio de gran importancia para elaborar medidas de prevención y control que minimicen el riesgo de infección humana. En el presente trabajo se entrega una síntesis de lo publicado sobre la ecología de los reservorios de hantavirus en Chile