COEXISTENCE OF SEVERAL NOVEL HANTAVIRUSES IN RODENTS INDIGENOUS TO NORTH-AMERICA

Three genetically distinct members of the Hantavirus genus have been d etected in Nevada rodents by RT-PCR and nucleotide sequence analysis. These include Sin Nombre (SN), El Moro Canyon (ELMC), and Prospect Hil l (PH)-like viruses which are primarily associated with Peromyscus man iculatus (deer mouse), Reithrodontomys megalotis (western harvest mous e), and Microtus spp. (voles), respectively. Although this region of t he United States is ecologically diverse, rodents infected with differ ent hantaviruses appear to coexist in several different geographical a nd ecological zones. In two widely separated states, Nevada and North Dakota, PH-like viruses are present in three different species of vote . In addition, ELMC-like virus has been detected in both R. megalotis and M. montanus (mountain vole). SN virus is a cause of hantavirus pul monary syndrome throughout much of the United Stales. SN virus RNA is found in 12.5% of P. maniculatus in Nevada and eastern California. Two lineages of SN virus coexist in this region and differ from SN viruse s originally found in infected rodents in New Mexico, Arizona, and Col orado. These data show the complexity of hantavirus maintenance in rod ents. Distinct hantaviruses or virus lineages can coexist either in di fferent or the same rodent species and in either different or the same geographic or ecological zones. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc