Doctors researching a rare virus in Bolivia have discovered that it can be passed from human to human.
The little-known Chapare virus claimed three lives in an outbreak close to La Paz, the capital of Bolivia last year.
Thought to usually spread to people through contact with infected rodents, the virus can cause a fever, vomiting and internal bleeding.
Researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined the virus, which can cause haemorrhagic fever and symptoms similar to Ebola, spreads from person to person in healthcare settings, raising concerns it could pose significant public health risks.
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They also found preliminary evidence that a species of rodent common in the region is capable of carrying virus, pointing to a potential ‘reservoir’ for maintaining the disease and triggering new outbreaks.
There have been two documented outbreaks of the virus to date. The first occurred in 2003 in Chapare Province, Bolivia, which resulted in one fatal case.
The second outbreak was last year and resulted in five confirmed cases — three of which were fatal.
After the latest outbreak, teams from Bolivia’s Ministry of Health, the CDC and the Pan-American Health Organisation were sent to investigate the origins of the disease and develop a diagnostic test.
Their findings, presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene yesterday, show how the virus can spread from person to person in healthcare settings.
The origins of the virus, including how exactly it infects humans and what risks there are that a larger outbreak could occur still remain unknown, according to scientists.
Caitlin Cossaboom, an epidemiologist with the CDC’s division of high-consequence pathogens and pathology, said: ‘Our work confirmed that a young medical resident, an ambulance medic and a gastroenterologist all contracted the virus after encounters with infected patients – and two of these healthcare workers later died.
‘We now believe many bodily fluids can potentially carry the virus.’
Maria Morales-Betoulle, also at the CDC, said the team was quickly able to develop a RT-PCR test for detecting the virus – the same type of test often used to diagnose Covid-19.
She said: ‘We isolated the virus, and we were expecting to find a more common disease, but the sequence data pointed to Chapare virus.
‘We were really surprised because the 2019 outbreak in La Paz occurred long after the first case was identified in 2004.’
Joel Breman, president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, said: ‘While there is still much that remains unknown about Chapare virus, it’s commendable how quickly this team was able to develop a diagnostic test, confirm human-to-human transmission and uncover preliminary evidence of the virus in rodents.
‘It’s a valuable lesson that international scientific teams, equipped with the latest tools and freely sharing their insights, are our best front-line defence against the disruptive threats of deadly infectious diseases.’
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