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ABSTRACT
Objective: This study was undertaken to determine the seroepidemiology of Hantavirus infection in the Philippines.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional study done in asymptomatic volunteers from various communities in the Philippines selected by a stratified multistage sampling design. Antibody to Hantavirus was detected by particle agglutination (PA) test using Hantadia high-density particle agglutination (HDPA) reagent kit. Results: The prevalence of positive Hantavirus antibody among 461 subjects was the same in both males (6.1%) and females (6.1%) in rural (7.6%), urban (5.6%), and urban poor (5.1%) populations.
Conclusions: The prevalence of Hantavirus infection in the Filipino population is comparable to that seen in other developing countries. The HDPA can be conveniently used as a rapid tool to detect the Hantavirus antibody for seroepidemiologic and diagnostic purposes.
Key Words: Hantavirus, high-density particle agglutination, prevalence, Philippines
Int J Infect Dis 2000; 4:104-107.
In 1982, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended naming the syndrome caused by Hantaan virus and other Hantaviruses as "hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome" (HFRS),1 because of the nephropathy associated with the disease heralded by an abrupt high-grade fever with hemorrhagic manifestations. This was first recognized in an epidemic among Korean soldiers in 1951 and was initially called Korean hemorrhagic fever (KHF).2
Outbreaks of what is believed to have been HFRS in Russia, Manchuria, and Sweden, as early as 1913 and 1932, have been described.3 In 1976, Professor Ho Wang Lee and co-workers detected antigens in the lung tissues of 73 rodents (Apodemus agrarius coreae).2 Conversely, antibodies against these antigens were noted in convalescent-phase sera from patients with KHE The agent, named after Hantaan River in Korea where it was first detected, belongs to the newly established genus Hantavirus of the family Bunyaviridae. There are many serotypes, including Hantaan virus, Belgrade or Dobrava virus, Seoul virus, Puumala virus, and Sin Nombre virus.
Varying degrees of severity and outcome are associated with the different serotypes, which occur in specific geographic locations of the world.3 The Puumala virus causes mild disease in Europe, Russia, and Scandinavia, whereas the Seoul virus causes moderate disease worldwide. A severe form of HFRS is caused by Hantaan virus in China, Russia, and Korea and by the Belgrade or Dobrava virus in the Balkan countries. Currently, there is an...