First serological evidence of hantavirus among febrile patients in Mozambique

Objective The occurrence of hantavirus in Sub-Saharan Africa is poorly studied and its clinical implications are unknown. This study aimed to determine the occurrence of hantavirus infection among febrile patients attending an outpatient clinic at a primary health care center located in a suburban area of the city of Maputo in Mozambique. Methods Paired acute and convalescent samples from a total of 200 febrile patients aged >5 years who were recruited between February 2012 and October 2014 were screened for IgM and IgG antibodies against hantavirus using an ELISA. Acute samples were also screened for malaria and to determine hematological and clinical chemistry parameters. Results Of the 200 patients enrolled, four had IgM antibodies in their acute sample and IgG antibodies in their convalescent sample, yielding a prevalence rate of 2%. Contact with rodents was higher among IgM-positive participants than IgM-negative participants (50.0% (2/4) vs. 15.3% (30/196)). IgM-positive patients presented significantly higher levels of creatinine and alanine aminotransferase and lower platelet counts than IgM-negative patients. Conclusions The findings of this study demonstrate human exposure to hantavirus in Mozambique for the first time; however, further studies should be conducted to investigate its clinical implications.