GENETIC IDENTIFICATION OF A NEW PUUMALA VIRUS-STRAIN CAUSING SEVERE HEMORRHAGIC-FEVER WITH RENAL SYNDROME IN GERMANY

A severe case of suspected hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) was recently identified in northwestern Germany. A genetic detection assay was designed that identified hantavirus-specific RNA in the patient's clinical specimens by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction amplification of virus S and M genome segments. Phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequences demonstrated that this virus belonged to the Puumala (PUU) group, with the closest relationship to a PUU isolate from Finland. Within the group, this virus formed a separate lineage, This finding represents the first genetic characterization of a hantavirus causing severe HFRS in Germany. The data suggest that PUU viruses circulating in western European countries are genetically distinct from their northeastern counterparts. Comparison of deduced amino acid sequences demonstrated a loss of a potential N-glycosylation site in the G2 protein compared with other PUU viruses.