HANTAVIRUS ECOLOGY AND DISEASE IN CHILE

汉坦病毒心肺综合征(HCPS)是一种急性病毒感染，其病死率为50%，于1993年在新墨西哥州首次发现。野生啮齿动物会将病毒传播给人类。北美和南美洲都经历了猪瘟暴发和零星病例，现已确诊500例。新墨西哥大学(UNM)的教职员工在HCPS及其生态学、诊断、分子生物学、疫苗开发、治疗和发病机制研究方面处于领先地位。他们曾前往南美、欧洲、以色列和澳大利亚的5个国家授课和举办研讨会，其中一些人曾在美国国立卫生研究院和美国疾病控制与预防中心的HCPS委员会任职。目前，UNM每年持有100多万美元的联邦拨款中的直接费用，这些拨款仅用于汉坦病毒研究，以及其他含有汉坦病毒成分的大笔赠款。这份申请描述了一项国际传染病研究合作(ICIDR)计划，该计划旨在将UNM的专业知识和资源与智利类似的令人印象深刻的专业知识和资源相匹配。智利的合作者在圣地亚哥的联邦卫生部，包括其实验室分支机构--公共卫生研究所；在天主教大学和智利大学；以及在科伊海克和特穆科的地区医院，这两个地方是治疗HCPS患者的主要地点。在所有地点都确定了高素质和训练有素的合作者。卫生部迅速开发了资源和人力，以应对直到1997年8月才首次发现的猪瘟暴发。他们在互联网服务提供商建造了一个新的实验室，用于涉及非常危险的安第斯汉坦病毒株的生物遏制工作，并从联邦政府获得了每年60万美元的稳定资金流，仅用于汉坦病毒的预防和治疗。这些资金中的大多数可以被视为与本申请相匹配的资金。该申请涉及4个联系非常紧密的项目，涉及野生啮齿动物中汉坦病毒的生态、猪瘟的人际传播、重型猪瘟的遗传基础和猪瘟的治疗。另外两所美国大学也提供具体的研究专业知识。每个项目都将强大的美国技术和经验与积极进取和经验丰富的智利合作者相结合。每个项目都有明确和可实现的具体目标，这些目标将大大推动这一领域的发展。每个项目的一个主要目标是迅速和及早地将技术转让给智利，以增进有关氯化石蜡的科学知识，从而为智利和美国的公共卫生带来共同利益。这些项目将促进智利的科学，远远超出汉坦病毒的研究领域。由于智利和美国的成本相当匹配，而且目前关于汉坦病毒生态、传播、疾病病因和治疗的知识相对较少，ICIDR应用程序处于独特的位置，能够产生巨大的科学知识回报。

Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) is an acute viral infection with a 50% case-fatality that was first recognized in 1993 in New Mexico. Wild rodents transmit it to man. Both North and South America have experienced outbreaks and sporadic cases of HCPS, with 500 cases now recognized. University of New Mexico (UNM) faculty are leaders in the study of HCPS and its ecology, diagnosis, molecular biology, vaccine development, treatment, and pathogenesis. They have traveled to 5 countries in South America, Europe, Israel and Australia to teach courses and conduct workshops, and several have served on NIH and CDC committees on HCPS. UNM currently holds more than $1 million/year in direct costs in federal grants that are directed solely in hantavirus research, as well as other large grants with a hantavirus component. This application describes an International Collaboration in Infectious Diseases Research (ICIDR) program for hantavirus research that matches UNM expertise and resources with similar impressive expertise and resources in Chile. Chilean collaborators are in Santiago at the federal Ministry of Health, including its laboratory branch, the Institute of Public Health (ISP); at Catholic University and University of Chile; and at regional hospitals in Coyhaique and Temuco, two of the primary sites at which HCPS patients are treated. Highly qualified and well-trained collaborators have been identified at all sites. The Ministry of Health rapidly developed resources and manpower to address the HCPS outbreaks, which were first recognized only in August 1997. They have constructed a new laboratory for biological containment work involving the very dangerous Andes hantavirus strain at the ISP and have secured a steady funding stream of $600,000/year from the federal government solely for hantavirus prevention and treatment. Most of these monies can be considered matching funds for the present application. The application involves 4 very strongly linked projects on the ecology of hantaviruses in wild rodents, the interpersonal transmission of HCPS, the genetic basis for severe HCPS and the treatment of HCPS. Two other US universities also provide specific research expertise. Each project pairs strong US technology and experience with highly motivated and experienced Chilean collaborators. Each project has clear and achievable specific aims that will advance the field considerably. A major goal of each project is the rapid and early transfer of technology to Chile to advance scientific knowledge about HCPS for the mutual benefit of both Chilean and US public health. The projects will foster Chilean science well beyond the hantavirus research arena. This ICIDR application is uniquely situated to produce a tremendous return in scientific knowledge because of the substantial cost-matching in Chile and the US and because there is currently relatively little knowledge regarding hantavirus ecology, transmission, disease causation, and treatment.