Human infection with Seoul orthohantavirus in Korea, 2019.

• Main Authors: Changmin Kang (Author), Jin Il Kim (Author), Jungmin Lee (Author), Seongman Bae (Author), Min Jae Kim (Author), Ki-Joon Song (Author), Jin-Won Song (Author), Sung-Han Kim (Author), Man-Seong Park (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2021-02-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Of various rodent-borne hantaviruses, Seoul orthohantavirus (SEOV) causes haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), as does Hantaan orthohantavirus (HTNV). Given global-scale of cases of human infection with SEOV, it is of great clinical importance to distinguish SEOV from other HFRS-causing hantaviruses. In May 2019, a middle-aged patient who had lived in a suburban area of Chungcheong Province, Republic of Korea and enjoyed outdoor activities was transferred to Asan Medical Center in Seoul, Republic of Korea with HFRS; his symptoms included high fever and generalized myalgia. The rapid diagnostic test performed immediately after his transfer detected HTNV-specific antibodies, and the patient was treated accordingly. However, two consecutive IFAs performed at ten-day intervals showed no HTNV-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) G. During continuous supportive care, next-generation sequencing successfully identified viral genomic sequences in the patient's serum, which were SEOV and not HTNV. Phylogenetic analysis grouped the L, M, and S genes of this SEOV strain together with those of rat- or human-isolated Korean strains reported previously. Given global outbreaks and public health threats of zoonotic hantaviruses, a causative pathogen of hantavirus HFRS should be identified correctly at the time of diagnosis and by point-of-care testing.

Item Description

1935-2727
1935-2735
10.1371/journal.pntd.0009168