New Focus of Hantavirus Seoul in the Far East of Russia

Abstract

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is registered annually among residents of Khabarovsk city, Russia. The aim of the study was to conduct a genetic analysis of hantaviruses, the causative agents of HFRS, in residents of Khabarovsk city and in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus), a natural reservoir of Seoul virus (SEOV), captured in Khabarovsk and its suburbs. Materials and methods. Blood sera samples from 75 patients with HFRS, collected in 2016–2023 (blood plasma – in 2017) and samples from 1468 Norway rats, captured during 2011–2023, were investigated. Results and discussion. We have demonstrated the presence of the Seoul virus (SEOV) in samples of Norway rats from the city of Khabarovsk and the suburban settlement Priamursky, Jewish Autonomous Region; 2 RNA isolates of the SEOV virus, 33 isolates of the Hantaan virus (HTNV), 9 isolates of the Amur virus (AMRV) – in patients with HFRS from Khabarovsk. Phylogenetic analysis of partial S and L segments of the genome has revealed that three RNA isolates of SEOV from Norway rats and two isolates from HFRS patients are most closely related (99 % homology) to strains from China and are different from the variant of SEOV from Vladivostok. It is assumed that the urban focus of the Seoul virus in Khabarovsk and its environs was formed as a result of the importation of virus carriers from China, where this variant of the virus is widespread. The data obtained indicate that the incidence of HFRS in residents of Khabarovsk, caused by infection with the HTNV and AMRV viruses, is associated with visits to various rural areas of the Far East.

Keywords

• hantavirus
• seoul virus
• rattus norvegicus
• hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome
• khabarovsk
• russia