A SEROTYPIC STUDY OF HEMORRHAGIC-FEVER WITH RENAL SYNDROME IN RURAL CHINA

Apodemus agrarius was trapped in the fields and Rattus norvegicus was trapped within the houses in the villages of Jiande County, a region i n the Zhejiang Province of China endemic for hemorrhagic fever with re nal syndrome (HFRS). Antibodies to hantaviruses were detected in three (16.7%) of 18 A. agrarius and 12 (13.5%) of 89 R. norvegicus, whereas hantavirus antigens were detected in the lung tissues of four (22.2%) of 18 and nine (10.1%) of 89 of these rodents, respectively. Three ha ntaviruses, one from A. agrarius and two from R. norvegicus, were isol ated and found to be antigenically similar to Hantaan and Seoul seroty pe viruses, respectively. A serologic study of 437 clinically defined HERS patients conducted in Jiande County in 1988 revealed that the rat io of Hantaan (72.5%) to Seoul (26.8%) serotype virus infections was 2 .7:1. Two epidemic seasons were found, with a major peak in November a nd a minor peak in June, and both were associated with Hantaan serotyp e virus infections that coincided with two seasonal peaks of the A. ag rarius population and local agricultural activities in the fields. Seo ul serotype virus infections occurred with a small peak during the mon ths of December through May, in which in-house activities were dominan t. All data suggested that Jiande County was an area endemic for HFRS, predominantly of the Hantaan virus serotype, combined with Seoul sero type virus infections.