Emerging viruses in western and southern Africa:Molecular identification and characterization of rodent-, shrew-, and bat-borne hantaviruses and assessment of their impact on public health

汉坦病毒是布尼亚病毒科的成员，是引起两种危及生命的人类人畜共患病的新出现病毒；肾综合征出血热和汉坦病毒心肺综合征。病毒从动物宿主传染给人类。根据我们最近在非洲啮齿动物、鼩鼱和蝙蝠宿主（分别为Sangassou、Tanganya和Magboi病毒）中发现汉坦病毒的证据，以及在非洲发生汉坦病毒病的证据，德国和非洲小组的联合项目将评估汉坦病毒及其在非洲西部和南部的自然动物宿主的生物多样性。将分析新发现的非洲汉坦病毒的生物学和遗传特性，以评估它们与人类健康的相关性，并推断汉坦病毒在其自然宿主中的分子进化。此外，将为新发现的非洲汉坦病毒制定具体的诊断方法。由于迄今为止仅在非洲大陆西部发现汉坦病毒，我们的研究将扩展到该地区的更多国家。此外，除了啮齿动物和鼩鼱之外，还将对蝙蝠作为汉坦病毒的潜在宿主进行调查。这一持续努力将导致在非洲实验室检测和鉴定汉坦病毒和其他新出现的人畜共患病病毒的能力建设，并发展病毒诊断和公共卫生专门知识，以控制源自小型哺乳动物的人畜共患病感染。

Hantaviruses, members of the family Bunyaviridae, are emerging viruses causing two lifethreatening human zoonoses; hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome. The viruses are transmitted from animal reservoirs to humans. Based on our very recent evidence of hantaviruses in rodent, shrew, and bat reservoirs in Africa (Sangassou, Tanganya, and Magboi virus, respectively) and of the occurrence of hantavirus disease in Africa, the joint project of German and African groups will evaluate the biodiversity of hantaviruses and their natural animal reservoirs in western and southern Africa. Biological and genetic properties of the newly discovered African hantaviruses will be analyzed in order to assess their relevance for human health and to infer molecular evolution of hantaviruses in their natural hosts. Moreover, specific diagnostic approaches will be developed for newly found African hantaviruses. Since hantaviruses were detected to date only in the Western part of the African continent, our studies will be extended to more countries of this region. Moreover, bats – in addition to rodents and shrews – will be investigated as potential hantavirus hosts. This continued effort will result in capacity building for the detection and characterization of hantaviruses and other emerging zoonotic viruses in African laboratories and to the development of virus-diagnostic and public health expertise for the control of zoonotic infections originating from small mammals.