Sensitivity of Andes Hantavirus to Antiviral Effect of Human Saliva

ease in domestic animals (e.g., pigs) and humans has reached an alarming level (Table). Human infection rates in certain areas in China have been high; for example, in Inner Mongolia, samples collected from 1,529 randomly selected persons during 1994–1996 showed that 35.3% of the local population, 57.0% of local pregnant women, and 100% of newborns of infected mothers were positive for hemotrophic mycoplasma infection (2). Infections in animals in China have been recognized since 1995, and the number of cases has been increasing rapidly. For example, >600,000 pigs infected with M. suis were reported in 2003 (Table). These infections have had a large economic impact on regions where the infection is endemic (8). Infections in other animals, including cows, sheep, and foxes, were also common, indicating a high prevalence of the bacteria in China. However, because of the lack of in vitro cultivation systems that assist in characterizing pathogens, progress in species identification and molecular characterization of these pathogens has been slow. Thus far, names of hemotrophic mycoplasma species have been based on the hosts from which they were identified. Due to the zoonotic nature of these pathogens, more indepth studies on these microorganisms are needed. This work was supported by the Young Distinguished Scholar Grant from the National Natural and Scientific Committee, People’s Republic of China (grant no. 30625029).