EPIDEMIOLOGIC LINKAGE OF RODENT AND HUMAN HANTAVIRUS GENOMIC SEQUENCES IN CASE INVESTIGATIONS OF HANTAVIRUS PULMONARY SYNDROME

Sin Nombre virus (SNV) causes the zoonotic disease hantavirus pulmonar y syndrome (HPS), Its mechanisms of transmission from rodent to human are poorly understood, It is possible that specific genetic signature sequences could be used to determine the probable site of each case-pa tient's exposure, Environmental assessments suggested 12 possible site s of rodent exposure for 6 HPS patients, Rodents were captured at 11 o f the 12 sites and screened for SNV infection within 2 weeks of the pa tient's diagnosis, Viral sequences amplified from tissues of rodents a t each site were compared with those from case-patients' tissues, Rode nts bearing viruses with genetic sequence identity to case-patients' v iruses across 2 genomic segments were identified in 4 investigations b ut never at >1 site, Indoor exposures to rodents were especially commo n at implicated sites, By distinguishing among multiple possible sites of exposure, viral genotyping studies can enhance understanding of th e conditions associated with infection by SNV.