Pet Rats as the Likely Reservoir for Human Seoul Orthohantavirus Infection
Elisa Heuser,
Stephan Drewes,
Jakob Trimpert,
Dusan Kunec,
Calvin Mehl,
Marieke P. de Cock,
Ankje de Vries,
Christiane Klier,
Martin Oskamp,
Peter Tenhaken,
Fatima Hashemi,
Daniela Heinz,
Mariana Nascimento,
Marc Boelhauve,
Rasa Petraityte-Burneikiene,
Dina Raafat,
Miriam Maas,
Detlev H. Krüger,
Andreas Latz,
Jörg Hofmann,
Gerald Heckel,
Johannes Dreesman,
Rainer G. Ulrich
Affiliations
Elisa Heuser
Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald, Germany
Stephan Drewes
Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald, Germany
Jakob Trimpert
Institute of Virology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, 14163 Berlin, Germany
Dusan Kunec
Institute of Virology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, 14163 Berlin, Germany
Calvin Mehl
Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald, Germany
Marieke P. de Cock
Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands
Ankje de Vries
Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands
Christiane Klier
Department of Infectious Diseases, Public Health Agency of Lower Saxony, 30449 Hannover, Germany
Martin Oskamp
Health Department of Grafschaft Bentheim County, 48527 Nordhorn, Germany
Peter Tenhaken
Health service for the district and city of Osnabrück, 49082 Osnabrück, Germany
Institute of Virology, Charité–University Medicine Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Gerald Heckel
Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Johannes Dreesman
Department of Infectious Diseases, Public Health Agency of Lower Saxony, 30449 Hannover, Germany
Rainer G. Ulrich
Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald, Germany
Seoul orthohantavirus (SEOV) is a rat-associated zoonotic pathogen with an almost worldwide distribution. In 2019, the first autochthonous human case of SEOV-induced hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome was reported in Germany, and a pet rat was identified as the source of the zoonotic infection. To further investigate the SEOV reservoir, additional rats from the patient and another owner, all of which were purchased from the same vendor, were tested. SEOV RNA and anti-SEOV antibodies were found in both of the patient’s rats and in two of the three rats belonging to the other owner. The complete coding sequences of the small (S), medium (M), and large (L) segments obtained from one rat per owner exhibited a high sequence similarity to SEOV strains of breeder rat or human origin from the Netherlands, France, the USA, and Great Britain. Serological screening of 490 rats from breeding facilities and 563 wild rats from Germany (2007–2020) as well as 594 wild rats from the Netherlands (2013–2021) revealed 1 and 6 seropositive individuals, respectively. However, SEOV RNA was not detected in any of these animals. Increased surveillance of pet, breeder, and wild rats is needed to identify the origin of the SEOV strain in Europe and to develop measures to prevent transmission to the human population.
