Dynamics of Puumala hantavirus infection in naturally infected bank voles (Clethrinomys glareolus).

Specific features of hantavirus infection in bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) were studied in the endemic area of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in the foothills of the Ural mountains, using long-term observations on living animals by the capture-mark-recapture (CMR) method. The results demonstrated that the infection naturally circulating in the voles is chronic (lasting for up to 15 months) and asymptomatic, with a peak of Puumala virus accumulation and release from the organism during the first month after infection. It was shown that the bank vole population includes young animals with maternal immunity, which remain resistant to the Puumala virus infection for 3-3.

Tula virus: a newly detected hantavirus carried by European common voles.

A novel hantavirus has been discovered in European common voles, Microtus arvalis and Microtus rossiaemeridionalis. According to sequencing data for the genomic RNA S segment and nucleocapsid protein and data obtained by immunoblotting with a panel of monoclonal antibodies, the virus, designated Tula virus, is a distinct novel member of the genus Hantavirus. Phylogenetic analyses of Tula virus indicate that it is most closely related to Prospect Hill, Puumala, and Muerto Canyon viruses.

IgG avidity assay for estimation of the time after onset of hantavirus infection in colonized and wild bank voles.

An immunoglobulin G avidity assay was used to determine recent and past hantavirus infection in bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus). Sera of experimentally infected bank voles were studied at different time intervals. The avidity of specific IgG increased over time after infection.