Continuing Orthohantavirus Circulation in Deer Mice in Western Montana

• Published in: Viruses 2021-05, Vol.13 (6), p.1006
• Main Authors: Williamson, Brandi N, Meade-White, Kimberly, Boardman, Kristin, Schulz, Jonathan E, Telford, Carson T, Figueroa Acosta, Dania M, Bushmaker, Trenton, Fischer, Robert J, Rosenke, Kyle, Feldmann, Heinz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Viral - blood; Bitterroot Valley; Disease Reservoirs - virology; genome detection; Hantavirus; Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome; Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome - epidemiology; Laboratories; lung; Lung - virology; Medical research; Montana; Montana - epidemiology; Peromyscus; Peromyscus - virology; Peromyscus maniculatus; Phylogenetics; Population studies; Recreation sites; RNA, Viral - analysis; RNA, Viral - genetics; Rodent Diseases - epidemiology; Rodent Diseases - virology; Serology; Sin Nombre orthohantavirus; Small mammals; Summer; Tissue culture
• ISSN: 1999-4915; 1999-4915
• DOI: 10.3390/v13061006

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is an often-fatal disease caused by New World hantaviruses, such as (SNV). In the US, >800 cases of HPS have been confirmed since it was first discovered in 1993, of which 43 were reported from the state of Montana. The primary cause of HPS in the US is SNV, which is primarily found in the reservoir host (deer mouse). The reservoir host covers most of the US, including Montana, where multiple studies found SNV in local deer mouse populations. This study aimed to check the prevalence of SNV in the deer mice at popular recreation sites throughout the Bitterroot Valley in Western Montana as compared to previous studies in western Montana. We found high prevalence (up to 20%) of deer mice positive for SNV RNA in the lungs. We were unable to obtain a SNV tissue culture isolate from the lungs but could passage SNV from lung tissue into naïve deer mice. Our findings demonstrate continuing circulation of SNV in western Montana.