Outbreak of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Los Santos, Panama, 1999–2000
Emerging Infectious Diseases·
- DOI
- 10.3201/eid1009.040143
- PMID
- 15498167
- PMCID
- PMC3320309
- OpenAlex
- W2096982373
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The report established the first documented occurrence of human hantavirus infections in Central America and identified local rodent reservoirs, supporting regional awareness of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study describes an outbreak of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in Los Santos, Panama, in 1999–2000, documenting clinical cases, seroprevalence in surrounding neighborhoods, and rodent reservoirs.
Study design
An outbreak investigation combining case identification, case-neighborhood serologic surveys, and rodent trapping with serologic testing.
Population and setting
Eleven identified human cases in Los Santos province, Panama, together with household and neighborhood members surveyed around the outbreak foci, and locally captured rodents including Oligoryzomys fulvescens and Zygodontomys brevicauda cherriei.
Main findings
Nine of eleven identified cases were serologically confirmed, with three deaths among non-confirmed cases. Seroprevalence among household and neighborhood members from outbreak foci was 13%. Epidemiologic investigation did not indicate person-to-person transmission. Antibodies were detected in two captured rodent species using Sin Nombre virus antigen. The outbreak represented the first documented human hantavirus infections in Central America.
Public-health relevance
The report established the first documented occurrence of human hantavirus infections in Central America and identified local rodent reservoirs, supporting regional awareness of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
Important limitations
The summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract and metadata; decision-grade interpretation would require the original paper, including full methods, case definitions, and laboratory protocols.
GIDS interpretation
The article is relevant to discoverability of historical outbreak reports on hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in Panama and Central America, providing background context rather than a link to any current surveillance signal.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 7 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.