Absence of Interhuman Transmission of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome in Minas Gerais, Brazil: Evidence from a Serological Survey

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) was first recognized in the Four Corners region of the United States in 1993 [1, 2]. Since then, there have been reports of isolated cases and small outbreaks from other parts of the United States and from several countries in Latin America. Besides Sin Nombre virus, which was the causative agent of the outbreak in the Four Corners region, other hantaviruses have been associated with this syndrome. These viruses are maintained in nature by wild rodents, which are their reservoirs. Human disease usually occurs in individuals who have contact with infected animals or their excreta. Nevertheless, interhuman transmission of HPS associated with Andes virus has been reported from Argentina and Chile, including some cases in health care workers (HCWs) [3, 4]. There is no evidence that person-to-person transmission of Sin Nombre virus, or of any other hantavirus associated with HPS, occurs [5].