• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.147-152
• /
• 1994

Eleven shrews were caught from three areas of Korea. All of them were confirmed in the same species, Crocidura lasiura. All of sera from wild shrews were examined by indirect immunofluorescent test against Hantaan-related virus. The antibody to Hantaan-related virus was detected by 2 out of 11 shrews. Just 2 of 7 shrews from BG area were sero-positive for Hantaan-related virus antigen and none from other. All of sero-positive for Hantaan-related virus antigen belonged to male with antibody titer of 1:40 to 1:80. Two Hantaan-related viruses were isolated in vivo and in vitro.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.321-326
• /
• 1993

Sixty eight wild rats were caught from Seoul, Kyonggi, Kangwon, Cholla, and Kyongsang provinces in Korea. All of them were confirmed in the same species, Rattus norvigicus. All of sera from wild rats were examined by indirect immunofluorescent test against Hantaan-related virus. Detection of anti-body to Hantaan-related virus were 4 out of 68 rats(5.9%), including 2 of 8(25.0%) rats in Kangwon and 2 of 20 rats(10.0%) in Kyongsang province. No difference of the sero-positive rates between sex of rats tested to Hantaan-related virus was recognized. According to age, four rats with antibodies(1:320~640) to Hantaan-related virus belonged one subadult, one young adult, one middle aged adult, and one old adult, respectively.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.16 no.7
• /
• pp.1017-1025
• /
• 2006

Hantaviruses possess three RNA segments of negative sense. Co-infection of closely related hantaviruses may result in generation of a progeny virus with genomic polyploidy, containing a partial or complete set of genome originated from more than one parental virus. To characterize the formation of viral genomic polyploidy, cultured Vero-E6 cells were co-infected with two closely related hantaviruses, Hantaan and Maaji, and the progeny viruses examined. The genotype of plaque-purified viruses was analyzed by a virus-specific RT-PCR. Seventy percent (67/96) of the progeny virus was categorized as Hantaan and 3.3% (2/96) was classified as Maaji, whereas 20% (21/96) was considered polyploidy as they contained both types of the S RNA segment. Most of the polyploidy progeny viruses were unstable and gave rise to either one of the parental viruses or a reassortant after several rounds of plaque purification. No recombination between the heterologous pair of S RNA was observed for those polyploid viruses during three consecutive plaque-to-plaque passages. These data suggest that the viral polyploidy formation constitutes a primary mechanism underlying the generation of a newly emerged hantavirus.

• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 1998

To study the relation between ectoparasite, Rickettsia and hanntan virus in bats, four order of Athropoda were collected from Rhinolophus ferrumequinum captured in Cheju and Eptesicus serotinus captured in Chungnamin from July 1989 to March 1998. Also antibody of Rickettsia and hanntan virus were detected by immunofluoroscent antibody technique and RT-PCR. The results are as follows. 1. Five species of Acarina were identified from E. serotinus: Leptotrobidium subakamushi of Trombiculidae, Macronyssus coreanus, Steatonyssuss spinosuss and Steatonychus superans of Macronyssidae, Argas vespertilionis of Metastigmata. 2. Ischnopsyllus needhami of Siphonaptera and Cimex of Hemiptera were identified from E. serotinus. 3. Cycteribia uenoi and Brachytarsina kanoi of Diptera were identified from R. ferrumequinum. 4. The positive rate of rickettsial antibodies in E. serotinus were 17.58%, 15.15%, 22.22%, 52.73% against R. tsutsugamushi, R. typhi, R. sibirica and R. thai tick typhus, respectively. The high positive rate of antibody related to the high content of Arthropoda. 5. The Positive rate of hantaan virus IFA antibodies were 3.4% (27 of 802) and hanntan virus infection rate 36.7% (22 of 60) by RT-PCR in bats. According these result, we showed that certain species of Athropoda isolated playa role as vector of Rickettsia in E. serotinus. Also bats playa role as a reservoir of hantaan virus in nature.

• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.275-285
• /
• 1998

Based on the geographic range and distribution of its rodent reservoir host, the European common vole (Microtus arvalis), Tula virus is likely to be widespread throughout Eurasia. Tula virus-infected voles have been captured in Central Russia, Austria, Czech and Slovak Republics, and the former Yugoslavia. Although serologic evidence for Hantaan (HTN) or Seoul (SEO) virus infection can be found in the vast majority of the more than 300 cases of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) occurring annually in Korea, approximately 4% of Korean patients with HFRS show a more than 4-fold higher antibody titer to Puumala (PUU) virus than to HTN or SEO virus by double-sandwich IgM ELISA, suggesting the existence of pathogenic Puumala-related hantaviruses in Korea. To further define the geographic distribution and genetic diversity of Tula virus in Eurasia and to investigate the existence of previously unrecognized Microtus-borne hantavirus in Korea, arvicolid rodents were captured in Lodz, Poland in 1995 and in Yunchon-kun, Kyungki-do during April to May, 1998. In addition, sera from 18 Korean HFRS patients who showed higher (or the same) antibody titer to Tula virus than HTN and SEO viruses were examined for hantavirus RNA by RT-PCR. Hantaviral sequences were not detected in any of the 18 patients or in 35 reed voles (Microtus fortis) in Korea. Alignment and comparison of a 208-nucleotide region of the S segment, amplified from lung tissues of two hantavirus-seropositive Marvalis captured in Poland, revealed $80.8{\sim}83.2%$ sequence similarity, respectively, with Tula virus strains from Central Russia and the Czech and Slovak Republics. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the newfound Tula virus strains from Poland were closely related to other Tula hantaviruses from Eurasia.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.53-58
• /
• 2002

To better understand the reservoir host range and distribution of hantaviruses in small mammal populations in Korea, a serological survey was conducted on 1,375 wild rodents and 62 insectivores captured in seven provinces during the six-year period, 1995 to 2000. As determined by the indirect immunofluorescent antibody (IFA) test, 90 ($13.1\%$) of 685 Apodemus agrarius, 47 ($13.6\%$) of 345 Apodemus peninsulae, and 4 ($6.5\%$) of 62 Crocidura laciura were seropositive against the Hantaan virus, while 38 ($13.5\%$) of 282 Eothenomys regulus were seropositive against the Puumala virus. Serological evidence for hantavirus infection was not found in 50 Microtus fortis, six Micromys minutus, six Mus musculus, and one Cricetulus triton. Our serological data indicate that hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS)-related hantaviruses are widely distributed in indigenous rodents in Korea. Particularly noteworthy was the high seropositivity rates among Apodemus peninsulae and Eothenomys regulus captured in certain mountainous regions, suggesting that HFRS may be under-reported among nearby residents or among individuals who might visit such areas for recreational or occupational purposes.