The relationship between prevalence of Hantavirus (primarily Sin Nombre Virus, SNV) infection and population density will be evaluated in small mammal carriers in the southwestern United States. In addition, we will develop a model using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to predict environmental correlates of high human hantaviral risk. A combination of descriptive and analytic studies of environmental characteristics associated with rodent Hantavirus prevalence will be used in the study in conjunction with field manipulation experiments of closed small mammal populations to study these problems. The major hypotheses we intend to test ar that (1) rodent population density is positively associated with incidence of rodent Hantavirus infection, and (2) environmental characteristics, such as rainfall and vegetation, (which can be modelled and identified across geographic space using GIS technology), are associated with the level of Hantavirus infection in rodent populations. Results of these studies will provide information on the degree of human risk associated with the virus and allow predictions regarding future outbreaks.

Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
Budget End
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1996
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Gerber, Brian D; Parmenter, Robert R (2015) Spatial capture-recapture model performance with known small-mammal densities. Ecol Appl 25:695-705
Nelson, Randin; CaƱate, Raul; Pascale, Juan Miguel et al. (2010) Confirmation of Choclo virus as the cause of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome and high serum antibody prevalence in Panama. J Med Virol 82:1586-93
Kilpatrick, Elizabeth D; Terajima, Masanori; Koster, Frederick T et al. (2004) Role of specific CD8+ T cells in the severity of a fulminant zoonotic viral hemorrhagic fever, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. J Immunol 172:3297-304
Terajima, Masanori; Vapalahti, Olli; Van Epps, Heather L et al. (2004) Immune responses to Puumala virus infection and the pathogenesis of nephropathia epidemica. Microbes Infect 6:238-45
Salazar-Bravo, Jorge; Dragoo, Jerry W; Bowen, Michael D et al. (2002) Natural nidality in Bolivian hemorrhagic fever and the systematics of the reservoir species. Infect Genet Evol 1:191-9
Terajima, Masanori; Van Epps, Heather L; Li, Dexin et al. (2002) Generation of recombinant vaccinia viruses expressing Puumala virus proteins and use in isolating cytotoxic T cells specific for Puumala virus. Virus Res 84:67-77
Botten, Jason; Mirowsky, Katy; Ye, Chunyan et al. (2002) Shedding and intracage transmission of Sin Nombre hantavirus in the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) model. J Virol 76:7587-94
Salazar-Bravo, J; Dragoo, J W; Tinnin, D S et al. (2001) Phylogeny and evolution of the neotropical rodent genus Calomys: inferences from mitochondrial DNA sequence data. Mol Phylogenet Evol 20:173-84
Koster, F; Foucar, K; Hjelle, B et al. (2001) Rapid presumptive diagnosis of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome by peripheral blood smear review. Am J Clin Pathol 116:665-72
Terajima, M; Hendershot 3rd, J D; Kariwa, H et al. (1999) High levels of viremia in patients with the Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. J Infect Dis 180:2030-4

Showing the most recent 10 out of 12 publications