Analyses conducted by the Malbrán Institute of Virology have confirmed that The viral variant found in rodents in Tierra del Fuego is different from that observed in people infected during the studied epidemic.", specifies the press release.
“ The investigation ruled out the hypothesis that the rodents analyzed were the source of the infection linked to this event." he adds. Tierra del Fuego, an island separated from the mainland by the Strait of Magellan, had never recorded a case ofhantavirus since the declaration became mandatory in 1996.
Hantavirus remains a rare virus
On April 1st, the cruise ship " MV Hondius", flying the Dutch flag, left the port of Ushuaia, at the southern tip of Tierra del Fuego, bound for Cape Verde. A few days later, A passenger died at sea from a hantavirus infection..
Later, his wife and a third passenger also died, triggering a health emergency and leading to the quarantine of several countries.
According to the World Health Organization, about fifteen people have been infected.
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Subsequent studies have indicated that the recorded cases of hantavirus correspond to the Andean strain, endemic to southern Chile and Argentina, and the only known strain transmissible from human to human.
Hantavirus is a rare virus, for which there is no vaccine, transmitted by the long-tailed rice rat (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus).
A scientific mission to determine the origin of the transmission
In May, a mission from the Malbrán Institute in Ushuaia captured 144 rodents for analysis, but none were long-tailed rice rats. The results obtained showed that five specimens belonging to the genus Abrothrix possessed specific antibodies against hantavirus", reported the Ministry of Health.
The location of the first infection remains uncertain. The first case involved a Dutch tourist who, in the months preceding his departure, had travelled to several provinces of Argentina, some regions of Chile and Uruguay.
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“ Genetic studies have determined that the virus (…) is related to the Andean virus" , the Malbrán Institute indicated after analyzing rodents captured in Ushuaia between May 18 and 22.
This is a previously unknown viral variant. However, it differs from that observed in humans affected by the ongoing epidemic investigation.", the institute emphasized.
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