A Retrospective Survey of Rodent-borne Viruses in Rural Populations of Brazilian Amazon

Abstract INTRODUCTION: The Amazon tropical rainforest has the most dense and diverse ecosystem worldwide. A few studies have addressed rodent-borne diseases as potential hazards to humans in this region. METHODS: A retrospective survey was conducted using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detecting mammarenavirus and orthohantavirus antibodies in 206 samples collected from rural settlers of the Brazilian Western Amazonian region. RESULTS: Six (2.91%) individuals in the age group of 16 to 36 years were found to possess antibodies against mammarenavirus. CONCLUSION: Evidence of previous exposure to mammarenavirus in the rural population points to its silent circulation in this region.

引言：亚马逊热带雨林拥有全球最为茂密且物种多样性最丰富的生态系统。目前已有少量研究探讨了该地区啮齿动物传播疾病作为人类潜在健康危险因素的相关问题。方法：本研究采用回顾性调查方法，通过酶联免疫吸附试验（enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, ELISA），对采集自巴西西部亚马逊地区农村定居者的206份样本开展沙粒病毒属（mammarenavirus）与汉坦病毒属（orthohantavirus）抗体检测。结果：在16至36岁的年龄组中，共6名个体（占比2.91%）检出沙粒病毒属抗体。结论：农村人群存在沙粒病毒属既往暴露的证据，表明该病毒在本地区存在隐性循环传播。