90-Second Read: In Tierra del Fuego, a hunt for the rodent carrier of Hantavirus

A scientific mission was set to kick off the search Monday for rodents that may be Hantavirus carriers after an outbreak on a cruise ship departed this region at the southern tip of Argentina on April 1. For several days, biologists from Buenos Aires will set traps at various locations on the southern island of Tierra del Fuego to analyze whether the captured rodents carry the Andes strain of the virus, the only one known to spread between people. They insist that Tierra del Fuego province has not had a case of Hantavirus since its reporting became mandatory 30 years ago, unlike in provinces to the north, such as Rio Negro and Chubut. Local scientists debate about whether the noteworthy rodent in Tierra del Fuego is the long-tailed rat (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus) or a subspecies, the Magellanic long-tailed rat (Oligoryzomys magellanicus).

That should allow them to "definitively eradicate the idea that there is Hantavirus here," said Poljak. He points out that Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago separated from the mainland by the Strait of Magellan, a major geographical barrier for species. The Dutch couple had traveled extensively in Argentina for four months, with forays into Chile, where Hantavirus is also present, and Uruguay. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies.

The woodland rodent that lives here is a small species measuring 6-8 centimeters (2.4-3.1 inches), but with a tail that can reach 15 cm. Unconfirmed reports suggested that the Dutch person who died, a bird enthusiast, had visited the site to observe local scavengers, prompting speculation that his case involved contact with rodents there. Local scientists welcome the mission, which will allow them to "assess with greater certainty the potential danger posed by the local rodents," said Guillermo Deferrari, a biologist at the Southern Center for Scientific Investigation (CADIC). The rodent population there is significantly isolated, he said.

The first person to die from the disease, a Dutchman, had spent 48 hours in the picturesque city of Ushuaia with his wife, who died two weeks later, before embarking on the cruise, raising suspicions that they had contracted the virus in Argentina. While Ushuaia is experiencing a slowdown at the start of winter, cruises that run from September to April attract up to 200,000 visitors annually. Analysis results of the captured rats should be available within four weeks, he added.