First report of an imported case of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in South Africa.
Abstract: Haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is caused by hantavirus infection. Hantaviruses are not endemic to South Africa, and we report the first detection of an imported case of HFRS in the country. The case involved a traveller from Croatia who presented to a Johannesburg hospital with an acute febrile illness with renal dysfunction. The patient reported visiting rurally located horse stables in Croatia before falling ill, and that a worker in the stables with similar illness was diagnosed with HFRS. Given the exposure history and clinical findings of the case, a clinical diagnosis of HFRS was made and confirmed by laboratory testing.
Publication Date: 2022-08-02 PubMed ID: 36214393DOI: 10.7196/SAMJ.2022.v112i8.16540Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research paper discusses an unprecedented case of Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) in South Africa, contracted by a traveler from Croatia. This illness is caused by a hantavirus infection which is not typically found in South Africa.
Background
- The study focuses on the first report of Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) in South Africa.
- This condition is caused by hantavirus infection.
- Typically, hantaviruses are not indigenous to South Africa, making this case a significant point of focus.
Patient Background
- The HFRS case involved a traveler from Croatia, who arrived in South Africa and later presented to a Johannesburg hospital with an acute febrile illness coupled with renal dysfunction.
- The patient had recently visited horse stables in a rural part of Croatia before falling ill, which may have exposed him to the hantavirus.
- A worker in these stables, who had suffered a similar illness, had been diagnosed with HFRS. This further highlights the likelihood of the traveler getting infected in the same environment.
Diagnosis and Confirmation
- A clinical diagnosis of HFRS was made based on the patient’s exposure history and clinical findings.
- The diagnosis was later confirmed by laboratory testing, conclusively identifying the presence of hantavirus antibodies.
- This confirmation signifies the first recorded HFRS case in South Africa, having been ‘imported’ by a foreign traveler.
Cite This Article
APA
Moolla N, Adler D, Blumberg L, Glass A, Grobbelaar A, Le Roux C, Paweska J, Weyer J.
(2022).
First report of an imported case of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in South Africa.
S Afr Med J, 112(8), 519-525.
https://doi.org/10.7196/SAMJ.2022.v112i8.16540 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Medical Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Tshwane, South Africa. naazneenm@nicd.ac.za.
- Department of Medicine, Sandton MediClinic, Johannesburg, South Africa. naazneenm@nicd.ac.za.
- Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa. naazneenm@nicd.ac.za.
- Department of Medicine, Sandton MediClinic, Johannesburg, South Africa; Lancet Laboratories, Johannesburg, South Africa. naazneenm@nicd.ac.za.
- Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa. naazneenm@nicd.ac.za.
- Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa. naazneenm@nicd.ac.za.
- Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Medical Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Tshwane, South Africa; Department of Molecular Pathology, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. naazneenm@nicd.ac.za.
- Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Medical Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Tshwane, South Africa; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa . naazneenm@nicd.ac.za.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Humans
- Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome / diagnosis
- Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome / epidemiology
- Horses
- Hospitals
- Orthohantavirus
- South Africa
Citations
This article has been cited 5 times.- Noor F, Ashfaq UA, Bakar A, Qasim M, Masoud MS, Alshammari A, Alharbi M, Riaz MS. Identification and characterization of codon usage pattern and influencing factors in HFRS-causing hantaviruses. Front Immunol 2023;14:1131647.
- Noor F, Ashfaq UA, Asif M, Adeel MM, Alshammari A, Alharbi M. Comprehensive computational analysis reveals YXXΦ[I/L/M/F/V] motif and YXXΦ-like tetrapeptides across HFRS causing Hantaviruses and their association with viral pathogenesis and host immune regulation. Front Immunol 2022;13:1031608.
- Chai S, Wang L, Du H, Jiang H. Achievement and Challenges in Orthohantavirus Vaccines. Vaccines (Basel) 2025 Feb 17;13(2).
- Zhou W, Dong Y, Liu X, Ding S, Si H, Yang C. A bibliometric analysis of domestic and international research on hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome over the past 2 decades. Medicine (Baltimore) 2024 Sep 13;103(37):e39737.
- van der Westhuizen CG, Burt FJ, van Heerden N, van Zyl W, Anthonissen T, Musoke J. Prevalence and occupational exposure to zoonotic diseases in high-risk populations in the Free State Province, South Africa. Front Microbiol 2023;14:1196044.
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