Deer mouse

Abstract: A recent outbreak of a severe pulmonary disease in the southwestern United States was etiologically linked to a previously unrecognized hantavirus The virus has been isolated from its major reservoir, the deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus, and recently named Sin Nombre virus Clinically, the disease has become known as the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) Since May 1993, 44 fatal cases of HPS have been identified through clinicopathological review and immunohistochemical (IHC) testing of tissues from 273 patients who died of an unexplained noncardiogenic pulmonary edema In 158 cases for which suitable specimens were available, serological testing and/or reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification of extracted RNA was also performed IHC, serological, and PCR results were concordant for virtually all HPS and non-HPS patients when more than one assay was performed The prodromal illness of HPS is similar to that of many other viral diseases Consistent hematological features include thrombocytopenia, hemoconcentration, neutrophilic leukocytosis with a left shift, and reactive lymphocytes Pulmonary histopathological features were similar in most of the fatal HPS cases (40/44) and consisted of an interstitial pneumonitis with a variable mononuclear cell infiltrate, edema, and focal hyaline membranes In four cases, however, pulmonary features were significantly different and included diffuse alveolar damage and variable degrees of severe air space disorganization IHC analysis showed widespread presence of hantaviral antigens in endothelial cells of the microvasculature, particularly in the lung Hantaviral antigens were also observed within follicular dendritic cells, macrophages, and lymphocytes Hantaviral inclusions were observed in endothelial cells of lungs by thinsection electron microscopy, and their identity was verified by immunogold labeling Virus-like particles were seen in pulmonary endothelial cells and macrophages HPS is a newly recognized, often fatal disease, with a spectrum of microscopic morphological changes, which may be an important cause of severe and fatal illness presenting as adult respiratory distress syndrome

Abstract: An outbreak of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the southwestern United States was etiologically linked to a newly recognized hantavirus. Knowledge that hantaviruses are maintained in rodent reservoirs stimulated a field and laboratory investigation of 1696 small mammals of 31 species. The most commonly captured rodent, the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), had the highest antibody prevalence (30%) to four hantavirus antigens. Antibody also was detected in 10 other species of rodent and in 1 species of rabbit. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) products of hantavirus from rodent tissues were indistinguishable from those from human HPS patients. More than 96% of the seropositive P. maniculatus were positive by RT-PCR, suggesting chronic infection. Antibody prevalences were similar among P. maniculatus trapped from Arizona (33%), New Mexico (29%), and Colorado (29%). The numeric dominance of P. maniculatus, the high prevalence of antibody, and the RT-PCR findings implicate this species as the primary rodent reservoir for a new hantavirus in the southwestern United States.

Abstract: The Laboratory Rabbit, Guinea Pig, Hamster, and Other Rodents is a single volume, comprehensive book sanctioned by the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM), covering the rabbit, guinea pig, hamster, gerbil and other rodents often used in research. This well-illustrated reference won a 2012 PROSE Award for Best Single Volume Reference in Science from the Association of American Publishers. The book includes basic biology, anatomy, physiology, behavior, infectious and noninfectious diseases, husbandry and breeding, common experimental methods, and use of the species as a research model. With many expert contributors, this will be an extremely valuable publication for biomedical researchers, laboratory animal veterinarians and other professionals engaged in laboratory animal science. 2012 PROSE Award winner for Best Single Volume Reference in Science from the Association of American Publishers. It offers one-stop resource for advancements in the humane and responsible care of: rabbit, guinea pig, hamster, gerbil, chinchilla, deer mouse, kangaroo rat, cotton rat, sand rat, and degu. It includes up-to-date, common experimental methods. It is organized by species for easy access during bench research.

Abstract: I the spring of 1993, a previously undescribed disease emerged in the Southwest, killing 10 people during an 8-week period in May and June. Early during an infection, victims experienced flu-like symptoms for several days, but their condition suddenly and rapidly deteriorated as their lungs filled with fluids; death usually occurred within hours of the onset of this crisis period. There was no cure, no successful medication or treatment, and the disease agent (virus, bacterium, or toxin) was completely unknown. For the first few weeks, the mortality rate was 70%. Researchers from many disciplines immediately focused on the outbreak, attempting to identify the agent and understand the causes and dynamics of the disease. Within weeks, scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified the agent as a previously unknown hantavirus (Bunyaviridae), subsequently named Sin Nombre virus, or SNV (Nichol et al. 1993). Because hantaviruses were known to be transmitted by rodents, investigators undertook an intensive small mammal field sampling campaign in the Four Corners region of New Mexico and Arizona. Shortly thereafter, CDC identified the viral reservoir host as a common and widely distributed rodent, the deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus (figure 1; Childs et al. 1994). During the identification period, on the medical side, physicians and medical staff made rapid progress in developing treatment methods to stabilize and sustain patients through the crisis period, thereby substantially improving patient survivorship; nonetheless, the mortality rate fell only to about 40%, where it remains today. The emergence of this new disease prompted many questions about its history, causes, and dynamics. Was this a newly Terry L. Yates (e-mail: tyates@unm.edu) is a professor in the Departments of Biology and Pathology at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131. Cheryl A. Parmenter, Robert R. Parmenter, John R. Vande Castle, Jorge Salazar-Bravo, and Jonathan L. Dunnum are with the Department of Biology and the Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico. James N. Mills, Thomas G. Ksiazek, Stuart T. Nichol, and Joni C. Young are with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333. Charles H. Calisher and Barry J. Beaty are with the Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Foothills Campus, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523. Kenneth D. Abbott is with the Department of Biology, Yavapai College, Prescott, AZ 86301. Michael L. Morrison is with the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ 85721. Robert J. Baker is with the Department of Biology and The Museum, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409. Clarence J. Peters is with the Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555. © 2002 American Institute of Biological Sciences. The Ecology and Evolutionary History of an Emergent Disease: Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome