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Serum samples were collected from 155 of approximately 400 persons attending the Second European Congress of Mammalogy in Southampton, United Kingdom in March 1995. The samples were screened for hantavirus antibodies. Seventeen subjects (11%) demonstrated positive results. The highest titers were found for the Puumala virus. Eleven of the positive responders did not recall any specific diseases associated with rodents, the main carrier of hantavirus. The seroprevalence of the hantavirus antibodies increased with increasing years of work with rodents. Geographical area also appeared to be a significant factor for hantaviral antibody seropositivity. The authors conclude that mammalogists in Europe are at risk for hantavirus infection and should be protected when a reliable Puumala virus vaccine becomes available.
Lancet, 345(8964):1569, 1995. (3 references)
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