Guanarito virus
| Guanarito virus | |
|---|---|
| Virus classification | |
| Group: | Group V ((-)ssRNA) |
| Family: | Arenaviridae |
| Genus: | Arenavirus |
| Species | |
|
Guanarito virus |
|
| Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever | |
|---|---|
| Classification and external resources | |
| Specialty | Infectious disease |
| ICD-10 | A96.8 |
Guanarito virus
Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever (VHF) is a zoonotic human illness first identified in 1989. The disease is most prevalent in several rural areas of central Venezuela and is caused by the Guanarito virus (GTOV) which belongs to the Arenaviridae family. The short-tailed cane mouse (Zygodontomys brevicauda) is the main host for GTOV which is spread mostly by inhalation of aerosolized droplets of saliva, respiratory secretions, urine, or blood from infected rodents. Person-to-person spread is possible, but uncommon.
From September 1989 through December 2006, the State of Portuguesa recorded 618 cases of VHF. Nearly all of the cases were individuals who worked or lived in Guanarito during the time they became infected. The case fatality rate was 23.1%.
Because the virus is contracted by aerosol dissemination, concern arose shortly after the first cases emerged in 1989 due to fear of biological warfare. Potential biological terrorism agents were identified and categorized in 1999 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as part of the Congressional initiative to further response capabilities to biological weapons [4] . Arenaviruses causing hemorrhagic fevers, along with a genus of virus called filoviruses, were categorized in Category A; these are pathogens with the highest potential impact on public health safety.
A notable event in the timeline of this virus' scientific knowledge was the unexplained disappearance of a vial of the virus at the University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston National Laboratory, announced 2013 March 24.
Arenaviruses are enveloped, single-stranded, bisegmented RNA viruses with antisense genomes. Based on their antigenic properties, arenaviruses have been classified into two major groups: the Old World arena viruses, and the New World arenaviruses. Old World arena viruses include lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, and Lassa virus. New world arena viruses are further broken down into three clades, A, B, and C. The Guanarito arena virus belongs to clade B and is the cause of VHF. On the biosafety level scale of one to four, with four causing the most risk, the viruses causing hemorrhagic fevers have been assigned a four by the CDC.
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