STUDY OF HANTAVIRUS CIRCULATION IN THE RU SSIAN-FEDERATION

Lung specimens of 1514 small mammals of 35 species captured in 1991-19 95 at 9 territories of Russia were tested in ELISA for virus antigens of hemorrhagic fever with the renal syndrome (HERS). The antigens were detected in lung specimens of Clethrionomys glareolus, Microtus arval is, Microtus gregalis, Microtus fortis, Arvicola terrestris is. Apodem us agrarius, Micromys minutus, and Sorer sp., well known as Hantavirus reservoirs, captured in the Vologda, Yaroslavl, Saratov, Astrakhan, a nd Chita regions. Infection of Microtus maximoviczii revealed in the C hita region was first found in China. Previously there were no reports about the circulation of hantaviruses in this region. Our study added one more host to the list of HERS virus hosts: Meliones tamariscinus.