TY - JOUR AU - Grobbelaar, Antoinette AU - Jardine, Jocelyn AU - Burt, Felicity AU - Shepherd, Alasdair AU - Shepherd, Susan AU - Leman, Patricia AU - Kemp, Alan AU - Braack, Lawrence E.O. AU - Weyer, Jacqueline AU - Paweska, Janusz AU - Swanepoel, Robert T1 - Mammarenaviruses of Rodents, South Africa and Zimbabwe T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2021 VL - 27 IS - 12 SP - 3092 SN - 1080-6059 AB - We conducted a survey for group-specific indirect immunofluorescence antibody to mammarenaviruses by using Lassa fever and Mopeia virus antigens on serum specimens of 5,363 rodents of 33 species collected in South Africa and Zimbabwe during 1964–1994. Rodents were collected for unrelated purposes or for this study and stored at −70°C. We found antibody to be widely distributed in the 2 countries; antibody was detected in serum specimens of 1.2%–31.8% of 14 species of myomorph rodents, whereas 19 mammarenavirus isolates were obtained from serum specimens and viscera of 4 seropositive species. Phylogenetic analysis on the basis of partial nucleoprotein sequences indicates that 14 isolates from Mastomys natalensis, the Natal multimammate mouse, were Mopeia virus, whereas Merino Walk virus was characterized as a novel virus in a separate study. The remaining 4 isolates from 3 rodent species potentially constitute novel viruses pending full characterization. KW - mammarenavirus KW - South Africa KW - Zimbabwe KW - Mastomys natalensis KW - Mopeia virus KW - viruses KW - rodents KW - Natal multimammate mouse DO - 10.3201/eid2712.211088 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/27/12/21-1088_article ER - End of Reference