The Sign of Hantavirus Transmission to Municipal Sweepers, Southwest of Iran

Background and Objectives: Hantavirus infection is of important epidemiology, due to airborne transmission from rodents. The rate of exposure as well as possible circulation remained to be clarified among Iranian population, especially at a risk group, sweepers .To determine the possible circulation of Hantavirus among municipal sweeper .Materials and Methods: A total of 385 sweepers from all 10 districts of Shiraz city, southwest of Iran were enrolled. Their blood samples were collected and sera were isolated. An in-house enzyme-linked immuno-assay (ELISA) was developed to detect IgG antibody against 2 groups of Hantavirus serotypes. This assay was also employed to detect Hantavirus antibody in all sera samples . Results: The developed ELISA assay showed a sustained specificity ad sensitivity. The antibody detection showed that 2 out of all samples (0.5%) were seropositive for Hantavirus. No significant difference between at-work or at-home parameters such as socioeconomic state, sanitation, hand washing, rat observing and dust exposure with the prevalence of Hantavirus was detected . Conclusion: In spite of very low prevalence, the sign of Hantavirus circulation among sweepers may reflect its importance to be taken into consideration for further research .