Melchiors, M. Anthony

Perry, Roger W.

Tappe, Philip A.

Thill, Ronald E.

ScholarWorks@UARK

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of ScienceVolume 51 Article 361997Presence of Hantavirus in Small Mammals of theOuachita MountainsRoger W. PerryUSDA Forest ServiceRonald E. ThillUSDA Forest ServicePhilip A. TappeUniversity of Arkansas at MonticelloM. Anthony MelchiorsWeyerhaeuser CompanyFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaasPart of the Animal Diseases CommonsThis article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able toread, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking priorpermission from the publisher or the author.This General Note is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the ArkansasAcademy of Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@uark.edu.Recommended CitationPerry, Roger W.; Thill, Ronald E.; Tappe, Philip A.; and Melchiors, M. Anthony (1997) "Presence of Hantavirus in Small Mammals ofthe Ouachita Mountains," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 51 , Article 36.Available at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol51/iss1/36210Presence of Hantavirus in Small Mammals of the Ouachita MountainsRonald E. Thill Philip A. Tappe M. Anthony MelchiorsRoger W. PerrySchool of Forest Resources Southern Forestry ResearchUSDA Forest Service USDA Forest ServiceSouthern Research Station Southern Research Station Arkansas Forest Resources Center Weyerhaeuser CompanyHot Springs, AR 71902 Nacogdoches, TX University of ArkansasMonticello, AR 71656Hot Springs, AR 71902Kin 1993, an outbreak of human hantavirus pulmonaryndrome (HPS) occurred inthe southwestern United Statesusing severe pulmonary disfunction and death amongmost of those infected. Shortly after the outbreak, thecausative agent was identified as the Sin Nombre virusSNV), a virus of the genus Hantavirus. Several hantaviruseslave since been identified in North America and rodentslave been identified as the hosts of these hantaviruses. Eachlantavirus has been associated with a single primary host>ecies in which it causes a chronic, persistent infectionvolving the shedding of virus in saliva, feces, and urine,eDuc, 1987). Infection to humans is thought to be fromhalation of aerosolized virus (breathing of small particlesuch as dust from feces, blood, or urine) (Tsai, 1987).owever, rodent bites or direct contact with broken skin orucus membranes also are potential sources of infectionNuzum et al., 1988).The deer mouse {Peromyscus maniculatus) was found to bethe primary reservoir of SNV, however, other small mam-mals have been found to carry antibodies for this and otherpotentially deadly hantaviruses (Childs et al., 1994). Itis notIown whether human infection can occur from non-pri-iry host species which carry antibodies for the virusenters for Disease Control and Prevention, pers. comm.).ie Blackwater Creek Canal virus (hosted by the cotton rat\modon hispidus), Bayou virus (hosted by the rice ratyzomys palustris), and SNV have all been associated withman HPS, however, SNV has caused the most human>rtality (Childs et al., 1995). The Prospect Hillvirus (host-by the pine vole Microtispennsylvanicus) and the El Moronyon virus (hosted by the western harvest mouseithrodontomys megalotis) have not been associated with any)orted cases of HPS, however, little is known about thetential risks of these and other yet undiscovered han-iruses (Childs et al, 1995).ICases of SNV-induced HPS have been reported fromrounding states including Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma,IKansas but none has been documented in Arkansas,Ithe risk of infection is unknown (Centers for Diseasentrol and Prevention, 1997). Research conducted by theDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, in con-ction with state and private cooperators, involves exten-3 small mammal trapping and handling in Arkansas.Because two of the first 102 recognized cases of SNV-induced HPS in the United States occurred in field biolo-gists with a history of contact with rodents (Mills et al.,1995), we sought to determine the incidence of hantavirusantibodies inArkansas small mammals to ascertain potentialrisks for human hantavirus infection.Small mammals were captured in kill traps at 19 loca-tions in Garland and Saline counties within the OuachitaMountains of west-central Arkansas in 1994 and 1995.These mammals were collected primarily in forested ripari-an areas on Weyerhaeuser Company lands. A total of 520small mammals was sent to the Centers for Disease Controland Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia for testing. Eachmammal was tested for the presence of hantavirus antibod-ies using laboratory methods described in detail by Mills etal. (1997). Assays used by the CDC would detect, but notdistinguish among, infections caused by other NorthAmerican hantaviruses. Results were forwarded to us fromthe Arkansas Department of Health.Of the 520 small mammals submitted for analysis, 4were reactive for hantavirus antibodies (Table 1), indicatingthey either carried or had been exposed to SNV or one ofthe other North American hantaviruses. Although the deermouse is thought to be the primary host of SNV, our sam-ple included only two of this species. Nevertheless, one ofthe two deer mice we submitted was positive. SNV infectionrates in deer mice have ranged from 11% to 30% of individ-uals in the American Southwest (Mills et al, 1997). Twocases of HPS that have occurred outside the range of thedeer mouse have been linked to the whitefooted mouse[Peromyscus leucopus), indicating the white-footed mouse maybe a potential vector for SNV or another deadly hantavirus(Mills et al, 1997). In our sample, the cotton mouse(Peromyscus gossypinus) and the white-footed mouse werelumped into a single group (Peromyscus spp.) because of dif-ficulties in distinguishing the two species. However, noPeromyscus other than maniculatus were positive inour sam-ple. One non-rodent species, the short-tailed shrew (Blarinacarolinensis) was found to be positive.For all species combined, the infection rate was 0.8%.This is probably a low estimate of hantavirus infection ratesamong Ouachita small mammals because of the low num-bers of deer mice included in our sample. Nevertheless, itJournal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 51, 199710Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 51 [1997], Art. 36Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 1997<<211Presence of Hantavirus in Small Mammals of the Ouachita Mountainsdoes present the first evidence that SNV or another closely-related hantavirus is present among small mammals inArkansas and presents the first data indicating the presenceof hantavirus antibodies in the golden mouse (Ochrotomysnutalli). Although laboratory tests did not discern SNV fromother hantaviruses, three of the five hantaviruses that occurin North America are known to cause HPS and other han-taviruses may exist that have not yet been identified. Furthertesting needs to be done to determine exact hantavirusinfection levels as well as tests to determine which han-taviruses are present and what species, ifany, may be pri-mary vectors for these viruses in Arkansas.with HPS, other biologists may want to review safety pro-cedures (Millset al., 1995).Acknowledgments. —We thank T. McChesney and R.Stegall of the Arkansas Department ofHealth for submittingmammals to the CDC for analysis and T. G. Ksiazek of theCDC for help in interpreting results.Literature CitedCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. 1993.Hantavirus infection-southwestern United States: inter-im recommendations for risk reduction. Morbidity andMortality Weekly Rep. 42: 1-13Table 1. Numbers of small mammals tested for hantavirusantibodies, numbers positive, and percent positive, collectedin the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas, 1994-1995.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 1997.National HPS Registry Update, February. Atlanta. 2pp.Childs, J. E., T. G. Ksiazek, C. F. Spiropoulou, J. W.Krebs, S. Morzumov, G. O.Maupin, K.L.Gage, P.E. Rollin,J. Sarisky, R E. Enscore, J. K.Frey, C.J.Peters, and S. T. Nichol. 1994. Serologic and geneticNumber Number Percenttested positive positiveSpeciesidentification of Peromyscus maniculatus as the primaryrodent reservoir for a new hantavirus in the southwest-ern United States. J. Infectious Diseases 169:1271-1280.Blarina carolinensis 134Glaucomys volans 10Microtus pinetorum 11Neotoma floridana 6Ochrotomys nuttalli 285Oryzomys palustris 1Peromyscus attwateri 5Peromyscus maniculatus 2Peromyscus spp. 43Reithrodontomys fulvescens 20Sylvilagus floridanus 1Tamias striatus 31 0.70 0.00 0.0 Childs, J. E.,J. N. Mills,and G.E. Glass. 1995. Rodent-borne hemorrhagic fever viruses: a special risk formammalogists?J. Mammal. 7(5:664-680.0 0.02 0.70 0.0 LeDuc,J. 1987. Epidemiology ofHantaan and related virus-es. Lab. Animal Sci. 37:413-418.0 0.01 50.0 Mills,J. N., T.L.Yates, J. E. Childs, RR Parenter, T. G.Ksiazek, P. E. Rollin, and C. J. Peters. 1995.0 0.00 0.0 Guidelines for working withrodents potentially infectedwith hantavirus. J. Mammal. 76:716-722.0 0.00 0.0 Mills,J. N., T. G. Ksiazek, B.A.Ellis,P. E.Rollin,S. T.Nichol,T. L. Yates, W. L.Gannon, C. E. Leary, D.M. Engelthaler, T. Davis, D. T. Tanda, J. W.Frampton, C. R Nichols, C. J. Peters, and J. E.Allspecies 520 1 0.8Childs. 1997. Patterns of association with host and habi-tat: Antibody reactive with Sin Nombre virus in smallmammals in the major biotic communities of the south-Concern for hantavirus among mammalogists inArkansas ranges from no concern to extreme caution indealing withsmall mammals (pers. comms). Since 1994, theUSDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, Weyer-haeuser Company, and the University of Arkansas atMonticello's School ofForest Resources have been using theCDC's precautionary interim guidelines (Centers forDisease Control and Prevention, 1993) to reduce risk ofpossible hantavirus exposure. These guidelines includewearing respirators and surgical gloves when handling smallmammals and sterilizing equipment that has come in con-tact withsmall mammals. Although there have been no doc-umented cases of HPS in Arkansas and biologists have beenhandling small mammals in Arkansas for years, our findingsindicate that hantaviruses are present in at least Garland andSaline counties. Given the high mortality rate associatedwestern United States. Am.J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 56:273-284.Nuzum, E. O., C. A. Rossa, E.H. Stephensen, and J. W.LeDuc. 1988. Aerosol transmission of Hantaan andrelated viruses to laboratory rats. Am. J. Trop. Med.Hyg. 38:636-640.Tsai, T. 1987. Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome:mode of transmission to humans. Lab. Animal Sci.37:428-430.Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 51, 1997211Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 51 [1997], Art. 36http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol51/iss1/36

Presence of Hantavirus in Small Mammals of the Ouachita Mountains

UARK (University of Arkansas )

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science Volume 51 Article 36 1997 Presence of Hantavirus in Small Mammals of the Ouachita Mountains Roger W. Perry USDA Forest Service Ronald E. Thill USDA Forest Service Philip A. Tappe University of Arkansas at Monticello M. Anthony Melchiors Weyerhaeuser Company Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas  Part of the Animal Diseases Commons Recommended Citation Perry, Roger W.; Thill, Ronald E.; Tappe, Philip A.; and Melchiors, M. Anthony (1997) "Presence of Hantavirus in Small Mammals of the Ouachita Mountains," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 51 , Article 36. Available at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol51/iss1/36 This article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able to read, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This General Note is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@uark.edu. 210Presence of Hantavirus in Small Mammals of the Ouachita MountainsRonald E. Thill Philip A. Tappe M. Anthony MelchiorsRoger W. PerrySchool of Forest Resources Southern Forestry ResearchUSDA Forest Service USDA Forest ServiceSouthern Research Station Southern Research Station Arkansas Forest Resources Center Weyerhaeuser CompanyHot Springs, AR 71902 Nacogdoches, TX University of ArkansasMonticello, AR 71656Hot Springs, AR 71902Kin1993, an outbreak of human hantavirus pulmonaryndrome (HPS) occurred inthe southwestern United Statesusing severe pulmonary disfunction and death amongmost of those infected. Shortly after the outbreak, thecausative agent was identified as the Sin Nombre virusSNV), a virus of the genus Hantavirus. Several hantaviruseslave since been identified in North America and rodentslave been identified as the hosts of these hantaviruses. Eachlantavirus has been associated with a single primary host>ecies in which it causes a chronic, persistent infectionvolving the shedding of virus in saliva, feces, and urine,eDuc, 1987). Infection to humans is thought to be fromhalation of aerosolized virus (breathing of small particlesuch as dust from feces, blood, or urine) (Tsai, 1987).owever, rodent bites or direct contact with broken skin orucus membranes also are potential sources of infectionNuzum et al., 1988).The deer mouse {Peromyscus maniculatus) was found to bethe primary reservoir of SNV, however, other small mam-mals have been found to carry antibodies for this and otherpotentially deadly hantaviruses (Childs et al., 1994). Itis notIown whether human infection can occur from non-pri-iry host species which carry antibodies for the virusenters for Disease Control and Prevention, pers. comm.).ie Blackwater Creek Canal virus (hosted by the cotton rat\modon hispidus), Bayou virus (hosted by the rice ratyzomys palustris), and SNV have all been associated withman HPS, however, SNV has caused the most human>rtality (Childs et al., 1995). The Prospect Hillvirus (host-by the pine vole Microtispennsylvanicus) and the El Moronyon virus (hosted by the western harvest mouseithrodontomys megalotis) have not been associated with any)orted cases of HPS, however, little is known about thetential risks of these and other yet undiscovered han-iruses (Childs et al, 1995).ICases of SNV-induced HPS have been reported fromrounding states including Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma,IKansas but none has been documented in Arkansas,Ithe risk of infection is unknown (Centers for Diseasentrol and Prevention, 1997). Research conducted by theDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, in con-ction with state and private cooperators, involves exten-3 small mammal trapping and handling in Arkansas.Because two of the first 102 recognized cases of SNV-induced HPS in the United States occurred in field biolo-gists with a history of contact with rodents (Mills et al.,1995), we sought to determine the incidence of hantavirusantibodies inArkansas small mammals to ascertain potentialrisks for human hantavirus infection.Small mammals were captured in kill traps at 19 loca-tions in Garland and Saline counties within the OuachitaMountains of west-central Arkansas in 1994 and 1995.These mammals were collected primarily in forested ripari-an areas on Weyerhaeuser Company lands. A total of 520small mammals was sent to the Centers for Disease Controland Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia for testing. Eachmammal was tested for the presence of hantavirus antibod-ies using laboratory methods described in detail by Mills etal. (1997). Assays used by the CDC would detect, but notdistinguish among, infections caused by other NorthAmerican hantaviruses. Results were forwarded to us fromthe Arkansas Department of Health.Of the 520 small mammals submitted for analysis, 4were reactive for hantavirus antibodies (Table 1), indicatingthey either carried or had been exposed to SNV or one ofthe other North American hantaviruses. Although the deermouse is thought to be the primary host of SNV, our sam-ple included only two of this species. Nevertheless, one ofthe two deer mice we submitted was positive. SNV infectionrates in deer mice have ranged from 11% to 30% of individ-uals in the American Southwest (Mills et al, 1997). Twocases of HPS that have occurred outside the range of thedeer mouse have been linked to the whitefooted mouse[Peromyscus leucopus), indicating the white-footed mouse maybe a potential vector for SNV or another deadly hantavirus(Mills et al, 1997). In our sample, the cotton mouse(Peromyscus gossypinus) and the white-footed mouse werelumped into a single group (Peromyscus spp.) because of dif-ficulties in distinguishing the two species. However, noPeromyscus other than maniculatus were positive inour sam-ple. One non-rodent species, the short-tailed shrew (Blarinacarolinensis) was found to be positive.For all species combined, the infection rate was 0.8%.This is probably a low estimate of hantavirus infection ratesamong Ouachita small mammals because of the low num-bers of deer mice included in our sample. Nevertheless, itJournal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 51, 199710Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 51 [1997], Art. 36Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 1997<<211Presence of Hantavirus in Small Mammals of the Ouachita Mountainsdoes present the first evidence that SNV or another closely-related hantavirus is present among small mammals inArkansas and presents the first data indicating the presenceof hantavirus antibodies in the golden mouse (Ochrotomysnutalli). Although laboratory tests did not discern SNV fromother hantaviruses, three of the five hantaviruses that occurin North America are known to cause HPS and other han-taviruses may exist that have not yet been identified. Furthertesting needs to be done to determine exact hantavirusinfection levels as well as tests to determine which han-taviruses are present and what species, ifany, may be pri-mary vectors for these viruses in Arkansas.with HPS, other biologists may want to review safety pro-cedures (Millset al., 1995).Acknowledgments. —We thank T. McChesney and R.Stegall of the Arkansas Department ofHealth for submittingmammals to the CDC for analysis and T. G. Ksiazek of theCDC for help in interpreting results.Literature CitedCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. 1993.Hantavirus infection-southwestern United States: inter-im recommendations for risk reduction. Morbidity andMortality Weekly Rep. 42: 1-13Table 1. Numbers of small mammals tested for hantavirusantibodies, numbers positive, and percent positive, collectedin the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas, 1994-1995.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 1997.National HPS Registry Update, February. Atlanta. 2pp.Childs, J. E., T. G. Ksiazek, C. F. Spiropoulou, J. W.Krebs, S. Morzumov, G. O.Maupin, K.L.Gage, P.E. Rollin,J. Sarisky, R E. Enscore, J. K.Frey, C.J.Peters, and S. T. Nichol. 1994. Serologic and geneticNumber Number Percenttested positive positiveSpeciesidentification of Peromyscus maniculatus as the primaryrodent reservoir for a new hantavirus in the southwest-ern United States. J. Infectious Diseases 169:1271-1280.Blarina carolinensis 134Glaucomys volans 10Microtus pinetorum 11Neotoma floridana 6Ochrotomys nuttalli 285Oryzomys palustris 1Peromyscus attwateri 5Peromyscus maniculatus 2Peromyscus spp. 43Reithrodontomys fulvescens 20Sylvilagus floridanus 1Tamias striatus 31 0.70 0.00 0.0 Childs, J. E.,J. N. Mills,and G.E. Glass. 1995. Rodent-borne hemorrhagic fever viruses: a special risk formammalogists?J. Mammal. 7(5:664-680.0 0.02 0.70 0.0 LeDuc,J. 1987. Epidemiology ofHantaan and related virus-es. Lab. Animal Sci. 37:413-418.0 0.01 50.0 Mills,J. N., T.L.Yates, J. E. Childs, RR Parenter, T. G.Ksiazek, P. E. Rollin, and C. J. Peters. 1995.0 0.00 0.0 Guidelines for working withrodents potentially infectedwith hantavirus. J. Mammal. 76:716-722.0 0.00 0.0 Mills,J. N., T. G. Ksiazek, B.A.Ellis,P. E.Rollin,S. T.Nichol,T. L. Yates, W. L.Gannon, C. E. Leary, D.M. Engelthaler, T. Davis, D. T. Tanda, J. W.Frampton, C. R Nichols, C. J. Peters, and J. E.Allspecies 520 1 0.8Childs. 1997. Patterns of association with host and habi-tat: Antibody reactive with Sin Nombre virus in smallmammals in the major biotic communities of the south-Concern for hantavirus among mammalogists inArkansas ranges from no concern to extreme caution indealing withsmall mammals (pers. comms). Since 1994, theUSDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, Weyer-haeuser Company, and the University of Arkansas atMonticello's School ofForest Resources have been using theCDC's precautionary interim guidelines (Centers forDisease Control and Prevention, 1993) to reduce risk ofpossible hantavirus exposure. These guidelines includewearing respirators and surgical gloves when handling smallmammals and sterilizing equipment that has come in con-tact withsmall mammals. Although there have been no doc-umented cases of HPS in Arkansas and biologists have beenhandling small mammals in Arkansas for years, our findingsindicate that hantaviruses are present in at least Garland andSaline counties. Given the high mortality rate associatedwestern United States. Am.J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 56:273-284.Nuzum, E. O., C. A. Rossa, E.H. Stephensen, and J. W.LeDuc. 1988. Aerosol transmission of Hantaan andrelated viruses to laboratory rats. Am. J. Trop. Med.Hyg. 38:636-640.Tsai, T. 1987. Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome:mode of transmission to humans. Lab. Animal Sci.37:428-430.Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 51, 1997211Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 51 [1997], Art. 36https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol51/iss1/36

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Presence of Hantavirus in Small Mammals of the Ouachita Mountains

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