Gou virus

Gou virus
Virus classification
Group: Group V ((-)ssRNA)
Order: Unassigned
Family: Bunyaviridae
Genus: Hantavirus
Species: Gou virus

Gou virus (GOUV) is a single-stranded, negative-sense, enveloped novel RNA hantavirus. It is one of the known hantaviruses responsible for hantavirus hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in humans. [1]

Natural reservoir

Gou virus was first isolated from black rats (R. rattus) captured in Zhejiang Province in 2000. [2] Genetically variant strains of GOUV have been found in black rats in Longquan, China. In addition, hantavirus strains isolated from R. flavipectus and R. norvegicus in Longquan are most closely related to GOUV. [3]

Transmission

Like all hantaviruses, transmission to humans is primarily through aerosolized rodent excreta and hand-to-mouth contamination from fomites. No human-to-human transmission has been documented. Longquan City, Zhejiang province, China, has a persistently high rate of human infection with GOUV. There is speculation that a variant strain of GOUV is transmissible from human-to-human. However, this has not yet been confirmed with epidemiological trace-back analysis. [4][5][6]

Morbidity and mortality

Between 1974-2011, in annual numbers (cases/100,000 population), a total of 20 patients died of HFRS in Longquan, with an average fatality rate of 1.07%. The highest fatalities were between 1974-1983 with an 11% death rate (10 deaths/91 cases). Seasonally, all deaths occurred in autumn and winter. No deaths have been reported since 2007. This is believed to be due to early diagnosis and improved supportive treatment.[7][8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Wang W, Wang M-R, Lin X-D, Guo W-P, Li M-H, et al. (2013) Ongoing Spillover of Hantaan and Gou Hantaviruses from Rodents Is Associated with Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) in China. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 7(10): e2484. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0002484
  2. ↑ Wang H, Yoshimatsu K, Ebihara H, Ogino M, Araki K, et al. (2000) Genetic diversity of hantaviruses isolated in china and characterization of novel hantaviruses isolated from Niviventer confucianus and Rattus rattus. Virology 278: 332–345.
  3. ↑ Lin XD, Wang W, Guo WP, Zhang XH, Xing JG, et al. (2012) Cross-species transmission in the speciation of the currently known Murinae-associated hantaviruses. J Virol 86: 11171–11182.
  4. ↑ Chen HX, Qiu FX (1993) Epidemiologic surveillance on the hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in China. Chin Med J (Engl) 106: 857–863.
  5. ↑ Meyer BJ, Schmaljohn CS (2000) Persistent hantavirus infections: characteristics and mechanisms. Trends Microbiol 8: 61–67.
  6. ↑ Zhang YZ, Lin XD, Shi NF, Wang W, Liao XW, et al. (2010) Hantaviruses in small mammals and humans in the coastal region of Zhejiang Province, China. J Med Virol 82: 987–995.
  7. ↑ Chen HX, Qiu FX, Dong BJ, Ji SZ, Li YT, et al. (1986) Epidemiological studies on hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in China. J Infect Dis 154: 394–398.
  8. ↑ Fang LQ, Wang XJ, Liang S, Li YL, Song SX, et al. (2010) Spatiotemporal trends and climatic factors of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome epidemic in Shandong Province, China. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 4: e789.

External links

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