Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Hantavirus infection in pets and coyotes in New Mexico and Arizona
By Malecki, T M et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1998·New Mexico Department of Agriculture, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serologic survey for hantavirus infection in domestic animals and coyotes from New Mexico and northeastern Arizona.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study found that only a small number of cats and dogs in New Mexico and northeastern Arizona showed signs of exposure to the Sin Nombre virus (SNV), which is associated with hantavirus. Specifically, 4 out of 145 cats and 3 out of 85 dogs had trace amounts of antibodies that reacted to the virus. However, further testing did not confirm active infection in these animals. Overall, the research suggests that domestic pets and coyotes are not significant carriers of this virus, meaning they likely do not play a major role in spreading it.
People also search for: dog hantavirus exposure · cat hantavirus symptoms · what is Sin Nombre virus in pets
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether animals had serologic evidence of infection with Sin Nombre virus (SNV). DESIGN: Prospective serosurvey. SAMPLE POPULATION: Serum samples were obtained from 145 cats, 85 dogs, 120 horses, and 24 cattle between April 1993 and August 1994 and 54 coyotes between December 1994 and February 1995. PROCEDURE: Serum samples were analyzed by western immunoblot assays for reaction with SNV nucleocapsid antigen. Samples with reactivity to SNV nucleocapsid proteins were used to probe multiple-antigen blots containing recombinant fusion proteins derived from prototypic hantaviruses. Lung tissue or blood clots were used in nested reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assays for a 320-nucleotide portion of the SNV G1 gene. RESULTS: Sera from 4 of 145 (2.8%) cats and 4 of 85 (3.5%) dogs had trace reactivity to full-length SNV-encoded nucleocapsid proteins. All samples from horses, cattle, and coyotes were nonreactive. Sera from cats and dogs that had trace IgG-antibody reactivity to nucleocapsid proteins were then tested for IgG-antibody reactivity to nucleocapsid proteins of prototypic hantaviruses. One cat had multiple cross-reactivities with these hantaviruses, consistent with exposure to a hantavirus; however, epitope mapping studies did not support this conclusion. Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction studies of blood clots or lung tissue from 2 animals that had weak reactivity to SNV failed to amplify any hantavirus sequence. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Domestic animals, particularly dogs and cats, as well as coyotes do not appear to have a major role in the maintenance and transmission of SNV.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9540866/