ASSESSMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL RISK FOR HANTAVIRUS INFECTION IN ARIZONA AND NEW-MEXICO

Differentiating occupational exposure from other potential domestic or recreational exposure(s) for Sin Nombre virus (SNV) infection is an e pidemiologic challenge. Interviews on work-related activities were con ducted, and serum specimens were obtained from 494 workers in Arizona and New Mexico. These workers may have been exposed to rodents and rod ent excreta at work, but their primary occupation did not require rode nt contact (National Park Service [n = 193]; Navajo Agricultural Produ ct Industry [n = 65], utility companies [n = 169] and plumbing and hea ting contractors [n = 67]). Within each occupational group (farm worke rs [n = 57], laborers [n = 20], professionals [n = 70], repairers [n = 211], service indirectly workers [n = 83], and technicians [n = 53]), the majority of workers reported working in areas that had rodent dro ppings (range, 75 to 95%); 70% of laborers and 64% of service industry workers reported handling rodents. More than 60% of workers in each g roup, except technicians, reported reopening and cleaning or working i n closed spaces. Approximately 90% of laborers, repairers, and farm wo rkers reported hand-plowing Although the risk for occupationally relat ed SNV infection appears to be low, workers frequently performed risk activities associated with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). All wo rkers were seronegative for SNV by enzyme-linked immunoassay or Wester n blot testing. These findings, the known occupational exposure of som e HPS cases, and tile high HPS case-fatality rate (52%) support the ne ed for recommendations to reduce human contact with rodents in the wor kplace. Increased understanding of hantavirus transmission to humans w ill help focus future recommendations to minimize human exposures effe ctively.