Whitewater Arroyo virus PCR test

Whitewater Arroyo virus is a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the Mammavirus genus of family Arenaviridae. This is an emerging virus first reported in woodrats in the Southwest region of North America. Besides woodrats, antibodies against the virus have been reported in other rodents such as Nelson’s pocket mice, northern pygmy mice (Baiomys taylori), northern grasshopper mice (Onychomys leucogaster), oryzomys (Oryzomys spp.), deermice (Megadontomys nelsoni and Peromyscus spp.), harvest mice (Reithrodontomys spp.), cotton rats (Sigmodon spp.), and Merriam’s kangaroo rats.

Woodrats are the major primary host of the virus. Infected woodrats can develop lymphocytic meningitis and perivascular lymphocytic cuffing in the brain. The discovery that WWAV can be recovered from antibody-positive woodrats suggests that WWAV infection can become chronic in these animals. These infected animals are a reservoir host that can continuously spread the virus.

Infection of humans is not common but occurs occasionally. Patients infected with the virus can develop non-specific febrile symptoms, such as fever, headache, muscle pain and acute respiratory distress. Infected patients can have a high mortality rate.

Using serology to track this infection in woodrats is not suitable for most purposes because animals with positive serology could either be active carriers of the virus or may have been previously exposed to the virus and cleared it (Fulhorst et al., 2002). Molecular detection of the virus by PCR can rapidly identify the presence of the virus in a specific and sensitive manner.

Utilities:

Help confirm the disease causing agent
Shorten the time required to confirm a clinical diagnosis of this virus
Help ensure that rodent populations and colonies are free of this virus
Early prevention of spread of this virus among a population or in a geographic area
Minimize human exposure to this virus
Safety monitoring of biological products that derive from rodents

References:
Fulhorst, C.F., Milazzo, M.L., Carroll, D.S., Charrel, R.N., Bradley, R.D. (2002) Natural host relationships and genetic diversity of Whitewater Arroyo virus in southern Texas. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 67:114-118.

Specimen requirements: 1 fecal pellet, or 0.1 ml whole blood in EDTA (purple top) tube, or 0.1 ml fresh or frozen tissue, or throat swab, or 0.1 ml urine

Contact Zoologix if advice is needed to determine an appropriate specimen type for a specific diagnostic application. For specimen types not listed here, please contact Zoologix to confirm specimen acceptability and shipping instructions.

For all specimen types, if there will be a delay in shipping, or during very warm weather, refrigerate specimens until shipped and ship with a cold pack unless more stringent shipping requirements are specified. Frozen specimens should be shipped so as to remain frozen in transit. See shipping instructions for more information.

Turnaround time: 2 business days

Methodology: Qualitative reverse transcription coupled real time polymerase chain reaction

Normal range: Nondetected