Co-circulation of Hantaviruses in Poland

Previously, in an exploratory study of soricine shrews in central Poland, we reported the discovery of a novel hantavirus, designated Boginia virus (BOGV), in the Eurasian water shrew, as well as the detection of Seewis virus (SWSV) in the Eurasian common shrew. The overlapping geographic ranges of these shrew species and the European mole prompted the present expanded study on the genetic diversity of SWSV and Nova virus (NVAV) in central and southeastern Poland. Since NVAV had been detected in archival liver tissues of a single European mole captured in Zala County, Hungary, in 1999, our investigation also sought to ascertain the prevalence and tissue distribution of NVAV in the European mole. Moreover, because SWSV exhibits host sharing among genetically related soricine shrew species, a separate aim was to determine the host restriction of NVAV in the European mole. Findings are summarized as follows:
1. Three genetically distinct hantaviruses co-circulate in central Poland
2. Seewis virus in three syntopic shrew species suggests spill-over infection
3. High prevalence of Nova hantavirus is found the European mole
4. Nova virus RNA is widespread in tissues of infected European moles

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Gu SH, Hejduk J, Markowski J, Kang HJ, Markowski M, Polatynska M, Sikorska B, Liberski PP, Yanagihara R. Co-circulation of soricid- and talpid-borne hantaviruses in Poland. Infection, Genetics and Evolution 2014 Dec;28:296-303.