Hantavirus in the Northern Red-backed Vole

Genetic evidence is provided for the first time that Hokkaido virus (HOKV) is harbored by both the grey red-backed vole (Myodes rufocanus) and northern red-backed vole (Myodes rutilus) in Siberian Russia. That HOKV was found irrespective of whether the dominant Myodes species was M. rutilus (Teletskoye Lake and Solton) or M. rufocanus (Pokrovka) suggests that both species are natural reservoirs of HOKV. Based on whole genome sequence analysis of Muju virus (MUJV) in the royal vole (Myodes regulus) and findings from this investigation, HOKV and MUJV appear to represent genetic variants, or genotypes, of Puumala virus (PUUV), rather than distinct hantavirus species. We, therefore, tentatively propose that HOKV and MUJV be called the Hokkaido and Muju genotypes of PUUV.

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Yashina LN, Abramov SA, Dupal TA, Danchinova GA, Malyshev BS, Hay J, Gu SH, Yanagihara R. Hokkaido genotype of Puumala virus in the grey red-backed vole (Myodes rufocanus) and northern red-backed vole (Myodes rutilus) in Siberia. Infection, Genetics and Evolution. 2015 Jul;33:304-313.