Résumé
Southeastern Asia is a recognised hotspot for emerging infectious
diseases, many of which have an animal origin. Mammarenavirus infections
contribute significantly to the human disease burden in both Africa and
the Americas, but little data exists for Asia. To date only two
mammarenaviruses, the widely spread lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus and
the recently described Wēnzhōu virus have been identified in this region,
but the zoonotic impact in Asia remains unknown. Here we report the
presence of a novel mammarenavirus and of a genetic variant of the Wēnzhōu
virus and provide evidence of mammarenavirus-associated human infection in
Asia. The association of these viruses with widely distributed mammals of
diverse species, commonly found in human dwellings and in peridomestic
habitats, illustrates the potential for widespread zoonotic transmission
and adds to the known aetiologies of infectious diseases for this region.