OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE LEADING TO HANTAVIRUS PULMONARY SYNDROME IN A UTILITY COMPANY EMPLOYEE

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is a newly recognized rodent-borne zoono sis, We report a case of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in an employee of a California utility company who was probably occupationally expose d to Sin Nombre virus, Environmental assessment and genetic comparison of the patient's hantavirus isolates to hantavirus isolates from rode nts trapped at possible sites of exposure suggested that the patient c ontracted his infection at the work site. The study revealed a close c orrespondence between the patient's viral genotype and that from a rod ent trapped at the work site, This report alerts the public health and medical community to the fact that employees of utility companies and similar industries may be an important risk group in areas where hant avirus is endemic and emphasizes the need to incorporate strategies fo r preventing exposure to hantavirus and other emerging infections into occupational safety protocols.