Detection of Imjin Virus and Seoul Virus in Crocidurine Shrews in Shandong Province, China

Introduction: Recently, hantaviruses have been discovered in insectivores in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. Imjin virus (MJNV) was first isolated from the lung tissues of Ussuri white-toothed shrew (Crocidura lasiura) from South Korea in 2009. We aim to detect the species and prevalence of insectivore- and rodent-borne hantaviruses in shrews and rodents.

Materials and methods: Shrews and rodents were captured in Jiaonan County of Shandong Province, China, in 2014. RT-PCR was used to amplify viral RNA of Hantavirus species, including insectivore-borne Imjin virus (MJNV), rodent-borne Hantaan virus (HTNV), and Seoul virus (SEOV) from shrews and rodents.

Results and discussion: We found that MJNV infected 10.7% (19/178) of Crocidura shrews, but it infected none of rodents (0/475); we also found that 2 of 178 (1.1%) Crocidura shrews were PCR positive to SEOV. This study indicated that the major animal hosts of Imjin virus are shrews, and rodent-borne SEOV can infect shrews.