Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Tribute to the author, Norman Gratz
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- Part I The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of Europe
- Part II The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of North America
- 20 Vector- and rodent borne diseases in the history of the USA and Canada
- 21 The mosquito-borne arboviruses
- 22 Mosquito-borne diseases – malaria
- 23 Mosquito-borne filarial infections
- 24 Sandfly-borne diseases
- 25 Ceratopogonidae -- biting midge-borne diseases
- 26 Dipteran caused infections -- myiasis
- 27 Flea-borne diseases
- 28 The louse-borne diseases
- 29 Triatomine-borne diseases
- 30 Tick-borne diseases of the USA and Canada
- 31 Mite-borne infections and infestations
- 32 Cockroaches and allergies
- 33 Factors augmenting the incidence, prevalence and distribution of vector-borne diseases in the USA and Canada
- 34 The rodent-borne diseases of the USA and Canada
- 35 The economic impact of vector- and rodent-borne diseases in the USA and Canada
- 36 Conclusions on the burden of the vector and rodent-borne diseases in Europe, the USA and Canada
- References
- Index
34 - The rodent-borne diseases of the USA and Canada
from Part II - The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of North America
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 January 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Tribute to the author, Norman Gratz
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- Part I The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of Europe
- Part II The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of North America
- 20 Vector- and rodent borne diseases in the history of the USA and Canada
- 21 The mosquito-borne arboviruses
- 22 Mosquito-borne diseases – malaria
- 23 Mosquito-borne filarial infections
- 24 Sandfly-borne diseases
- 25 Ceratopogonidae -- biting midge-borne diseases
- 26 Dipteran caused infections -- myiasis
- 27 Flea-borne diseases
- 28 The louse-borne diseases
- 29 Triatomine-borne diseases
- 30 Tick-borne diseases of the USA and Canada
- 31 Mite-borne infections and infestations
- 32 Cockroaches and allergies
- 33 Factors augmenting the incidence, prevalence and distribution of vector-borne diseases in the USA and Canada
- 34 The rodent-borne diseases of the USA and Canada
- 35 The economic impact of vector- and rodent-borne diseases in the USA and Canada
- 36 Conclusions on the burden of the vector and rodent-borne diseases in Europe, the USA and Canada
- References
- Index
Summary
As was with Europe, only those infectious diseases transmitted directly from rodents to humans will be considered below.
The hantaviruses
The distribution of the hantaviruses has been described in the section dealing with this group of infections in Europe. Hantaviruses are a diverse group of RNA arboviruses in the Bunyaviridae family and are parasites of small mammals, predominantly peridomestic and commensal rodents. In most cases human infection is manifested by one of a variety of acute illnesses involving haemorrhagic fever and renal disease. Adult rodents show persistent infection without any clinical manifestations and secrete virus for prolonged periods. Following inoculation, a viraemia develops in the rodent during which the virus is disseminated throughout the body. The virus is found in the lungs, spleen and kidneys for long periods in the rodent, perhaps for life. Saliva appears to play an important role in the horizontal transmission of the virus between rodents.
Man is probably infected through the respiratory route via aerosols of virus particles excreted by rodents in their lungs, saliva, urine and faeces. Transmission has also been documented following bites by rodents. Horizontal transmission among humans has not been documented, although blood and urine are infectious during the first 5 days of illness. It is generally accepted that arthropods are not involved in transmission of the viruses between rodents and from rodents to man. Many hantavirus isolates have been isolated from humans and rodent hosts and are typed according to their serological cross-reactivity. There are at least 14 subtypes.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Vector- and Rodent-Borne Diseases in Europe and North AmericaDistribution, Public Health Burden, and Control, pp. 279 - 297Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006