Arsenic and other heavy metals in Utah Lake and its tributaries

A recent study (Ferreira 2013) examined concentrations of fluvial As and other heavy metals in Provo and American Fork Rivers, which flow westward across the Wasatch Range and heavily-populated Utah Valley to drain into Utah Lake. Within Utah Valley average fluvial As for Provo River (As = 0.342 mg/L) and American Fork River (As = 0.152 mg/L) exceeded the EPA standards for freshwater streams for acute exposure (As = 0.340 mg/L) and chronic exposure (As = 0.150 mg/L), respectively, which are not unusual for rivers affected by mine tailings. The objective of this study is to measure fluvial As and other heavy metals in Utah Lake itself, as well as in Hobble Creek and Spanish Fork River, the two other tributaries that cross the Wasatch Range to drain into Utah Lake. Both filtered and unfiltered water samples are being collected at 20 sites beneath the ice on Utah Lake and will be re-collected at the beginning of the spring overturn. Similar water samples are also being collected at 40 sites each on Hobble Creek and Spanish Fork River. Dissolved oxygen, pH, water temperature and electrical conductivity are being measured on-site. Concentrations of nitrate, phosphate and sulfate will be measured using the Hach DR-2700 Spectrophotometer. The Optima 8000 ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectrometer) will be used to measure concentrations of As and associated elements Ag, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sn, Ti and Zn. Results will be reported at the meeting

Distribution and prevalence of Sin Nombre hantavirus in rodent species in eastern New Mexico.

Orthohantaviruses are diverse zoonotic RNA viruses. Small mammals, such as mice and rats are common chronic, asymptomatic hosts that transmit the virus through their feces and urine. In North America, hantavirus infection primarily causes hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), which has a mortality rate of nearly 36%. In the United States of America, New Mexico (NM) is leading the nation in the number of HCPS-reported cases (N = 129). However, no reported cases of HCPS have occurred within eastern NM. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of Sin Nombre virus (SNV) in rodent assemblages across eastern NM, using RT-qPCR. We screened for potential rodent hosts in the region, as well as identified areas that may pose significant infection risk to humans. We captured and collected blood and lung tissues from 738 rodents belonging to 23 species. 167 individuals from 16 different species were positive for SNV RNA by RT-qPCR, including 6 species unreported in the literature: Onychomys leucogaster (Northern grasshopper mouse), Dipodomys merriami (Merriam's kangaroo rat), Dipodomys ordii (Ord's kangaroo rat), Dipodomys spectabilis (Banner-tailed kangaroo rat), Perognathus flavus (Silky pocket mouse), and Chaetodipus hispidus (Hispid pocket mouse). The infection rates did not differ between sexes or rodent families (i.e., Cricetidae vs. Heteromyidae). Generalized linear model showed that disturbed habitat types positively influenced the prevalence of SNV at sites of survey. Overall, the results of this study indicate that many rodent species in east New Mexico have the potential to maintain SNV in the environment, but further research is needed to assess species specific infectivity mechanisms and potential risk to humans

Use of a Novel Detection Tool to Survey Orthohantaviruses in Wild-Caught Rodent Populations

Orthohantaviruses are negative-stranded RNA viruses with trisegmented genomes that can cause severe disease in humans and are carried by several host reservoirs throughout the world. Old World orthohantaviruses are primarily located throughout Europe and Asia, causing hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, and New World orthohantaviruses are found in North, Central, and South America, causing hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS). In the United States, Sin Nombre orthohantavirus (SNV) is the primary cause of HCPS with a fatality rate of ~36%. The primary SNV host reservoir is thought to be the North American deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus. However, it has been shown that other species of Peromyscus can carry different orthohantaviruses. Few studies have systemically surveyed which orthohantaviruses may exist in wild-caught rodents or monitored spillover events into additional rodent reservoirs. A method for the rapid detection of orthohantaviruses is needed to screen large collections of rodent samples. Here, we report a pan-orthohantavirus, two-step reverse-transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) tool designed to detect both Old and New World pathogenic orthohantavirus sequences of the S segment of the genome and validated them using plasmids and authentic viruses. We then performed a screening of wild-caught rodents and identified orthohantaviruses in lung tissue, and we confirmed the findings by Sanger sequencing. Furthermore, we identified new rodent reservoirs that have not been previously reported as orthohantavirus carriers. This novel tool can be used for the efficient and rapid detection of various orthohantaviruses, while uncovering potential new orthohantaviruses and host reservoirs that may otherwise go undetected

Use of a Novel Detection Tool to Survey Orthohantaviruses in Wild-Caught Rodent Populations

Orthohantaviruses are negative-stranded RNA viruses with trisegmented genomes that can cause severe disease in humans and are carried by several host reservoirs throughout the world. Old World orthohantaviruses are primarily located throughout Europe and Asia, causing hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, and New World orthohantaviruses are found in North, Central, and South America, causing hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS). In the United States, Sin Nombre orthohantavirus (SNV) is the primary cause of HCPS with a fatality rate of ~36%. The primary SNV host reservoir is thought to be the North American deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus. However, it has been shown that other species of Peromyscus can carry different orthohantaviruses. Few studies have systemically surveyed which orthohantaviruses may exist in wild-caught rodents or monitored spillover events into additional rodent reservoirs. A method for the rapid detection of orthohantaviruses is needed to screen large collections of rodent samples. Here, we report a pan-orthohantavirus, two-step reverse-transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) tool designed to detect both Old and New World pathogenic orthohantavirus sequences of the S segment of the genome and validated them using plasmids and authentic viruses. We then performed a screening of wild-caught rodents and identified orthohantaviruses in lung tissue, and we confirmed the findings by Sanger sequencing. Furthermore, we identified new rodent reservoirs that have not been previously reported as orthohantavirus carriers. This novel tool can be used for the efficient and rapid detection of various orthohantaviruses, while uncovering potential new orthohantaviruses and host reservoirs that may otherwise go undetected

A bar graph depicting the number of individuals captured per genus during rodent surveys in east New Mexico from March 2020 to May 2021.

A total of 738 rodents were captured from three families (64% Cricetidae, 35% Heteromyidae, and <1% Muridae), across 10 genera, and 23 species.</p

A table containing the rodent capture data for 738 samples captured between 2020–2021 in eastern New Mexico, USA.

GPS coordinates were excluded from the table as some sites were on privately owned land. Results of ELISA testing are listed as "1" if the samples was seropositive for SNV and "0" if it was not. Similarly, results of qPCR are represented as "0" if SNV was not genetically detected through RT-qPCR, and "1" if it was. (XLSX)</p

Fig 2 -

Map of the state of New Mexico (left) highlighting counties that have reported cases of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome based on the New Mexico Department of Health data in relation to 20 sites surveyed for rodents across east New Mexico in 2020 and 2021. Map of east New Mexico (right) including the relative proportion of Cricetid and Heteromyid rodents captured across the 20 survey sites. Site numbers correspond to Table 1. Level II Ecoregion GIS data was sourced from the freely available United States Environmental Protection Agency—Ecoregion database (https://www.epa.gov/eco-research/ecoregions-north-america).</p

A summary of RT-qPCR results tested for Sin Nombre Virus (SNV) across all rodents captured during 2020 and 2021 surveys in east New Mexico.

Each species is split according to the sex category. “+” represents the number of positive individuals within the category.</p

A summary of 20 sites surveyed for rodents from March 2020 to May 2021 across east New Mexico.

The sites were surveyed over three-consecutive nights, and the second date of survey is depicted in the table. Specific coordinates are not provided in the table due to landowner privacy. Habitat type was determined by combining the results of vegetation surveys and evaluating dominant vegetation types. Habitats that were used to grow crops, graze livestock or heavily altered by human activity in other ways were classified as disturbed.</p

Two bar graphs comparing the positivity results between the two detection methods, ELISA and RT-qPCR, used to test for the presence of SNV in rodent samples collected in east New Mexico from March 2020 to May 2021.

Bar graph A compares the prevalence of SNV between species within the Heteromyidae family, while bar graph B compares the prevalence of SNV between species within the Cricetidae family. More samples were detected through RT-qPCR than ELISA, across both families. (TIF)</p