2007/12/01 by Sara Chandy, Kumiko Yoshimatsu, Rainer G. Ulrich +13 · 1 citation
Environmental Science · Medicine · #Fire effects on ecosystems #Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research #Viral Infections and Vectors
paper · doi:10.1016/j.trstmh.2007.09.016
openalex publication_date 2007/12/01 · crossref created 2007/12/01 · crossref issued 2008/01/01 · crossref published 2008/01/01 · crossref published-print 2008/01/01 · crossref deposited 2019/05/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/29 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Hantaviruses are etiological agents of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in many parts of Asia and Europe. There has been no documented case of hantavirus disease from India, although serological evidence exists. We investigated the prevalence of hantavirus in the Indian population and tried to identify potential risk groups for hantavirus infections. The presence of hantavirus-specific IgG antibodies was prospectively evaluated in 661 subjects belonging to different groups, i.e. patients with chronic renal disease, warehouse workers and tribal members engaged in rodent trapping. Healthy volunteer blood donors were included as a control group. Thirty-eight seropositive samples were found using a combination of a commercial ELISA followed by an indirect immunofluorescence assay. Western blot using recombinant Hantaan virus nucleocapsid antigen confirmed the presence of anti-hantavirus IgG in 28 (74%) of the 38 sera tested. This study confirms the presence of hantaviruses in India and warrants increasing awareness of the problems of emerging pathogens and the threats they may pose to the public health system.