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1. A human pathogenic hantavirus circulates and is shed in taxonomically diverse rodent reservoirs

   https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1012849  

   Goodfellow, Samuel M; Nofchissey, Robert A; Ye, Chunyan; Banther-McConnell, Jaecy K; Suriyamongkol, Thanchira; Cook, Joseph A; Dunnum, Jonathan L; Mali, Ivana; Bradfute, Steven B (January 2025, PLOS Pathogens)

   Hartman, Amy L (Ed.)

   Orthohantaviruses are negative-sense RNA viruses that can cause hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) in humans. In the United States, Sin Nombre orthohantavirus (SNV) is the primary cause of HCPS, with a fatality rate of 36% and most cases occurring in the southwestern states. The western deer mouse,Peromyscus sonoriensis, is the primary reservoir for SNV; however, it remains unclear if alternative reservoirs exist. We conducted an extensive survey of SNV genetic prevalence in wild-caught small mammal communities throughout New Mexico and observed that 27% of all animals were positive for SNV. Through longitudinal trapping at a site of patient exposure, we found that SNV circulates at a high rate in multiple species over time. Furthermore, we isolated live SNV from tissues and feces from multiple small mammal species, demonstrating infectious virus in alternative and novel reservoirs.Altogether, this work shows that SNV is widely prevalent and persistent throughout New Mexico in multiple small mammal reservoirs that can harbor and shed infectious virus. This encourages future work for additional surveillance efforts and re-evaluates host-species dynamics for New World hantaviruses. 

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2. Hantavirus in rodents in the United States: Temporal and spatial trends and report of new hosts

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.70209  

   Astorga, Francisca; Alkishe, Abdelghafar; Paansri, Paanwaris; Mantilla, Gabriel; Escobar, Luis E (March 2025, Ecosphere)

   Abstract In North America, the rodent‐borne hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is predominantly caused by the Sin Nombre virus, typically associated with the deer mousePeromyscus maniculatus. Utilizing data from the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) hantavirus program, we assessed factors that may influence the spatial and temporal distribution of hantavirus in rodent populations across the United States. Between 2014 and 2019, the NEON hantavirus program conducted 104,379 small mammal captures and collected 14,004 blood samples from 49 species at 45 field sites. Our study identified 296 seropositive samples across 15 rodent species, including 8Peromyscusspecies. We describe six new species with hantavirus seropositive samples not previously reported as hantavirus hosts. The highest number of seropositive samples was obtained fromPe. maniculatus(n = 116; 2.9% seroprevalence), followed byPeromyscus leucopus(n = 96; 2.8%) andMicrotus pennsylvanicus(n = 33; 4.2%). Hantavirus seroprevalence showed an uneven spatial distribution, with the highest seroprevalence found in Virginia (7.8%, 99 seropositive samples), Colorado (5.7%,n = 37), and Texas (4.8%,n = 19). Hantavirus seropositive samples were obtained from 32 sites, 10 of which presented seropositive samples in species other thanPe. maniculatusorPe. leucopus. Seroprevalence was inconsistent across years but showed intra‐annual bimodal trends, and inPe. maniculatusandPe. leucopus, the number of captures correlated with seroprevalence in the following months. Seroprevalence was higher in adult males, with only one seropositive sample obtained from a juvenilePeromyscus truei. Higher body mass, presence of scrotal testes, and nonpregnant status were associated with higher seropositivity. The NEON dataset, derived from a multiyear and structured surveillance system, revealed the extensive distribution of hantavirus across broad taxonomic and environmental ranges. Future research should consider winter season surveillance and continued analyses of stored samples for a comprehensive spatiotemporal study of hantavirus circulation in wildlife. Global changes are expected to affect the dynamics of rodent populations by affecting their availability of resources and demography and, consequently, may modify transmission rates of rodent‐borne zoonotic pathogens such as hantavirus. This study can be considered a baseline to assess hantavirus patterns across host taxa, geographies, and seasons in the United States. 

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3. angieluis/disease-via-community-assembly: Finalized

   https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18744824  

   Luis, Angela (February 2026, Zenodo)

   This repository contains the code and data used in the analysis for the paper: Community assembly reveals environmental controls over rodent competition drive deer mouse density and hantavirus infection.Angela D. Luis and Dean E. Pearson Ecology Letters, 2026. 

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4. Hantavirus in Panama: Twenty Years of Epidemiological Surveillance Experience

   https://doi.org/10.3390/v15061395  

   Armién, Blas; Muñoz, Carlos; Cedeño, Hector; Salazar, Jacqueline R.; Salinas, Tybbyssay P.; González, Publio; Trujillo, José; Sánchez, Deyanira; Mariñas, Jamileth; Hernández, Ayvar; et al (June 2023, Viruses)

   Twenty years have passed since the emergence of hantavirus zoonosis in Panama at the beginning of this millennium. We provide an overview of epidemiological surveillance of hantavirus disease (hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and hantavirus fever) during the period 1999–2019 by including all reported and confirmed cases according to the case definition established by the health authority. Our findings reveal that hantavirus disease is a low-frequency disease, affecting primarily young people, with a relatively low case-fatality rate compared to other hantaviruses in the Americas (e.g., ANDV and SNV). It presents an annual variation with peaks every 4–5 years and an interannual variation influenced by agricultural activities. Hantavirus disease is endemic in about 27% of Panama, which corresponds to agroecological conditions that favor the population dynamics of the rodent host, Oligoryzomys costaricensis and the virus (Choclo orthohantavirus) responsible for hantavirus disease. However, this does not rule out the existence of other endemic areas to be characterized. Undoubtedly, decentralization of the laboratory test and dissemination of evidence-based surveillance guidelines and regulations have standardized and improved diagnosis, notification at the level of the primary care system, and management in intensive care units nationwide. 

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5. Statistical modeling of Peromyscus maniculatus (deer mouse) amounts per trap with spatiotemporal data

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s42081-023-00212-3  

   Huang, Hsin-Hsiung; He, Qing (July 2023, Japanese Journal of Statistics and Data Science)

   The North American deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) have been used as an environmental change indicator in North America. Since precipitation and temperature changes affect plant productivity and deer mouse habitats, they are substantial factors of deer mouse population radical variations. Therefore, modeling their association is important for monitoring dynamic changes of the deer mouse amounts per trap and relationships among weather variables such as precipitation, maximum and minimum temperatures. We acquired the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) data of deer mouse monthly amounts in traps for 2013 through 2022 in the contiguous United States from long-term study sites maintained for monitoring spatial differences and temporal changes in populations. We categorize the contiguous United States into six regions associated with climates. The proposed method identifies important factors of temperature and precipitation seasonal patterns with the month and year temporal effect interacting with the proposed climate-related regions. 

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