Epidemiology of Argentine hemorrhagic fever.

Present knowledge points to horizontal transmission as the most significant mechanism for Junín virus maintenance in the main natural reservoirs, namely Calomys musculinus and Calomys laucha. The existence of naturally infected Akodon azarae, both within and outside the endemic area, as well as the finding that other species, ecologically and phylogenetically related to the main reservoirs, such as Akodon molinae and Calomys callidus, can experimentally develop persistent infections with virus shedding through fauces, suggest a potential role for these cricetids as alternative reservoirs. Furthermore, since those rodents inhabit the borders of the area in which Argentine Hemorrhagic fever is endemic, the risk of spread of this area is to be expected. Whether the establishment of Junín virus persistence in Calomys musculinus and other reservoirs depends on viral or host factors, such as a selective defect in L3T4+ lymphocytes as recently shown for mice, remains to be explored.