Vidhi Vakharia, University of Saskatchewan

Vidhi Vakharia1*, Nidhi Kaushik1, Syan Olver1, Sourabh Suran1, Bryce Warner1,2 1Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada 2Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada

Discovering & Evolving

Sin Nombre virus (SNV) is a New World hantavirus responsible for Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome (HCPS), a severe respiratory illness in humans with a fatality rate of 30-35%, underscoring the critical need for virus surveillance. The most prevalent rodent in North America, the western deer mouse (Peromyscus sonoriensis; previously Peromyscus maniculatus), is the main reservoir host for SNV in Canada. Thus far, no study has looked at the prevalence of SNV in wild rodent populations in Saskatchewan, despite the province reporting a high number of HCPS cases. This study seeks to close that gap by examining the prevalence of SNV and attempting the first isolation of SNV, contributing novel viral material for future research. Trapping sessions were conducted at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization research farm, located outside of Saskatoon. Sherman live traps were deployed overnight and checked the following morning. Captured deer mice were anesthetised, and blood was collected via cardiac puncture before euthanasia; oral swabs and ear punches were then collected and body weight, length and sex were recorded. RT-qPCR and conventional PCR were used to screen for viral RNA in tissues following necropsy and ELISA was used to measure seroprevalence. In mice with positive detection of SNV RNA, follow-up work will include attempts to isolate SNV. This study's goal was to examine the prevalence of SNV in wild rodent populations in Saskatchewan and provide foundational data to support zoonotic risk assessments, disease surveillance, and future ecological and epidemiological studies particularly in rural and agricultural areas.