Whitewater Arroyo mammarenavirus

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Whitewater Arroyo mammarenavirus
Virus classification Red Pencil Icon.png
(unranked): Virus
Realm: Riboviria
Kingdom: Orthornavirae
Phylum: Negarnaviricota
Class: Ellioviricetes
Order: Bunyavirales
Family: Arenaviridae
Genus: Mammarenavirus
Species:
Whitewater Arroyo mammarenavirus
Synonyms [1]

Whitewater Arroyo virus

Whitewater Arroyo mammarenavirus (WWAV) is a zoonotic Arenavirus associated with hemorrhagic fever with liver failure.

Contents

Discovery

WWAV is an emerging virus; previously, it was widely distributed among woodrats (Neotoma spp.), its reservoir, in the American Southwest and was not known to infect humans. However, during June 1999-May 2000, three female patients, aged 14, 30, and 52, developed similar fatal illnesses. The illnesses were associated with nonspecific febrile symptoms including fever, headache, and myalgias and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Two developed liver failure and hemorrhagic fever. All three patients died 1–8 weeks after the onset of symptoms. [2]

Arenavirus-specific RNA was detected in each patient using RT-PCR. The nucleotide sequence of the patients were essentially identical and was 87% similar to the WWA virus prototype strain (obtained from a white-throated woodrat ( Neotoma albigula ) from New Mexico in the early 1990s). [3]

According to a family member, one patient had cleaned rodent droppings in her home during the two weeks before the onset of illness, while the other patients had no known contact with rodents. None of the patients traveled outside of California within four weeks of illness. [3]

Epidemiology

Previous cases of infection were from California. However, the virus has been found in woodrats in New Mexico and, more recently, in Utah, Oklahoma, and Texas. [4]

Clinical

WWAV infection is associated with hemorrhagic fever with liver failure. It is often associated with a mild febrile illness, with symptoms such as fever, headache, and myalgias. [3]

Transmission and Prevention

Like other arenaviruses, WWAV appears to be transmitted through rodents. Therefore, direct contact with rodents, their feces, and their nesting materials should be avoided. Surfaces contaminated with rodent feces should be disinfected. In addition, control of rodents near homes can help prevent infection. Rodent carcasses and materials should be double-bagged before disposal. Although it is unclear if WWAV can be transmitted nosocomially, other arenaviruses have been transmitted through contact with an infected patient's blood, urine, or pharyngeal secretions. [2] [3]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Lassa mammarenavirus</i> Type of viral hemorrhagic fever

Lassa mammarenavirus (LASV) is an arenavirus that causes Lassa hemorrhagic fever, a type of viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF), in humans and other primates. Lassa mammarenavirus is an emerging virus and a select agent, requiring Biosafety Level 4-equivalent containment. It is endemic in West African countries, especially Sierra Leone, the Republic of Guinea, Nigeria, and Liberia, where the annual incidence of infection is between 300,000 and 500,000 cases, resulting in 5,000 deaths per year.

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<i>Chapare mammarenavirus</i> Species of virus

Chapare mammarenavirus or Chapare virus is a virus from the family Arenaviridae which causes a hemorrhagic fever in humans known as Chapare hemorrhagic fever. It was first described after an outbreak of a novel zoonotic mammarenavirus infection occurred in the village of Samuzabeti, Chapare Province, Bolivia, in January 2003. A small number of people were infected and one person died.

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Brazilian hemorrhagic fever (BzHF) is an infectious disease caused by Brazilian mammarenavirus, an arenavirus. Brazilian mammarenavirus is one of the arenaviruses from South America to cause hemorrhagic fever. It shares a common progenitor with Argentinian mammarenavirus, Machupo mammarenavirus, Tacaribe mammarenavirus, and Guanarito mammarenavirus. It is an enveloped RNA virus and is highly infectious and lethal. Very little is known about this disease, but it is thought to be transmitted by the excreta of rodents. This virus has also been implicated as a means for bioterrorism, as it can be spread through aerosols.

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Flexal mammarenavirus is a mammarenavirus: an arenavirus with a mammalian host. It was first found in semiaquatic rodents of the genus Oryzomys in tropical forest in the Pará area of Brazil.

Bear Canyon mammarenavirus (BCNV), is a Mammarenavirus similar to Whitewater Arroyo virus (WWAV) and Tamiami mammarenavirus (TAMV); all three being New World arenaviruses. The virus is named after Bear Canyon, the area it was originally discovered in.

Mopeia mammarenavirus (MOPV) is a species of virus in the genus Mammarenavirus. It was initially isolated from the Mastomys natalensis mouse in the East African country of Mozambique in 1977. It is of the "Old World" Arenavirus lineage and is closely related to Lassa mammarenavirus, sharing 75% of its amino acid sequence.

References

  1. Buchmeier, Michael J.; et al. (2 July 2014). "Rename one (1) genus and twenty-five (25) species in the family Arenaviridae" (PDF). International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). Retrieved 14 June 2019. in the family Arenaviridae change the name of genus Arenavirus to Mammarenavirus and convert the names of its constituent species to a binomial format, by appending the name Mammarenavirus to each existing name
  2. 1 2 Knipe, David; Howley, Peter (2013). Fields Virology (6 ed.). pp. 1283–1303.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Fatal Illnesses Associated With a New World Arenavirus --- California, 1999--2000". MMWR Weekly.
  4. Fulhorst, Charles; Charrel, Remi; Weaver, Scott; Ksiazek, Thomas; Bradley, Robert; Milazzo, Mary; Tesh, Robert; Bowen, Michael (June 2001). "Geographic Distribution and Genetic Diversity of Whitewater Arroyo Virus in the Southwestern United States". Emerging Infectious Diseases. 7 (3): 403–7. doi:10.3201/eid0703.017306. PMC   2631812 .