On August 8, 2016, Tri-County Health Department (Adams, Arapahoe, and Douglas counties)
in Colorado was notified of a confirmed case of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).
The patient was a previously healthy male migrant farm worker aged 25 years, living
in farm quarters, and working in vegetable fields for 8 weeks before symptom onset.
On July 20, he experienced sudden onset of fever, severe headache, myalgias, cough,
and nosebleed. He was evaluated at an emergency department on July 23, where his temperature
was 103.9°F (40.0°C), and his physical exam was notable for bronchial breath sounds
and pulmonary crackles. Chest radiograph revealed bilateral interstitial infiltrates
and small pleural effusions, and thrombocytopenia (47,000/μL) was a noted laboratory
finding. The patient was hospitalized for 3 days, required minimal oxygen and supportive
care, and survived. Serology obtained on hospital admission was positive for hantavirus
immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G antibodies, with a positive result for
Sin Nombre virus (SNV) (the primary etiologic agent of HPS in the United States) IgM
at 1:6400, consistent with acute infection (Table).
TABLE
Laboratory findings associated with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and Sin Nombre virus
infection in a patient, by specimen collection date — Colorado, July 2016
Clinical specimen and laboratory test
Reference range
Collection date
July 23
July 24
July 26
Hantavirus IgM antibodies (ELISA)*
<2.00
—†
7.13
—†
Hantavirus IgG antibodies (ELISA)*
<2.00
—†
10.05
—†
Sin Nombre virus IgM antibodies (ELISA)§
<1:100
—†
1:6400
—†
Sin Nombre virus IgG antibodies (ELISA)§
<1:100
—†
1:100
—†
Sin Nombre virus IgM antibodies (ELISA)*,¶
<0.80
—†
4.83; 4.01
—†
White blood cells (103/μL)
4.8–10.8
7
8.9
9.4
Hematocrit (%)
42.0–52.0
49
44
43
Platelets (103/μL)
130–400
47
59
144
Abbreviations: ELISA = enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; IgG = immunoglobulin G;
IgM = immunoglobulin M.
* Commercial reference laboratory.
† Data not collected.
§ Colorado State Department of Public Health and Environment laboratory.
¶ Confirmatory reflex testing was performed twice.
Hantaviruses are a genus within the Bunyaviridae family that can cause HPS, a rare
and sometimes fatal respiratory disease in humans. The majority of HPS cases in the
United States are caused by SNV, which is primarily transmitted by the deer mouse
(Peromyscus maniculatus) (
1
). The average incubation period is 1–5 weeks after exposure to infected deer mouse
urine or droppings (
2
). HPS typically manifests with fever, myalgias, progressive respiratory insufficiency,
thrombocytopenia, and leukocytosis. Treatment is supportive. Approximately 60% of
hospitalized patients experience pulmonary edema and respiratory failure and require
mechanical ventilation (
3
). HPS case-fatality ratio is 38% (
4
).
Tri-County Health Department performed an environmental assessment of the farm on
August 17. The residential dwelling was shared with 12 other male farm workers in
a 1,000 square-foot wood frame house. Open food containers were found throughout the
house; rodent droppings were observed in the kitchen, cement foundation, and ceiling.
The patient reported that during the incubation period, he took daytime naps under
trees and in abandoned farm buildings on the property, information that was corroborated
by the farm owner and foreman. Those napping areas had evidence of rodent habitation
including nesting, burrowing, and rodent runs. None of the other housemates reported
an acute respiratory illness during the same exposure period and were not medically
evaluated. Tri-County Health Department recommended implementing an integrated pest
management program in the residential dwelling and workplace, which the farm owner
agreed to execute.
Review of HPS cases in Tri-County Health Department’s jurisdiction during the preceding
2 years revealed a fatal case in a farm worker in November 2014 (Colorado Electronic
Disease Reporting System, unpublished data, 2016) on a ranch approximately 50 miles
east of the farm described in this report. Environmental assessment of that patient’s
farm home in 2014 revealed multiple rodent nests and excrement throughout the rural
residential dwellings.
This report highlights the importance of considering HPS in farm workers and in other
occupations with risk for rodent exposure either at the workplace or in housing provided
by the employer (
5
,
6
). Nationally, 23% of reported HPS cases with a reported occupation were working in
agriculture (Dr. Annabelle de St. Maurice, CDC, personal communication, 2016). The
lack of a vaccine or specific treatment for HPS underscores the importance of focusing
on behavioral and environmental risk reduction to prevent SNV infections, including
for at-risk occupations, such as farming. Adding supplemental questions to the national
HPS case report form* about occupational exposures, including occupation, industry,
workplace, and work-related housing or other outdoor activities, will improve identification
of work practices and characteristics that increase risk for SNV exposure. Rapid public
health assessment of environmental exposure to SNV is critical to mitigate ongoing
hazards.