Priorities and guidelines for taxonomic and ecological studies of vertebrate hosts of the arenaviruses.

Priorities and guidelines for taxonomic and ecological studies of vertebrate hosts of the arenaviruses H. W. SETZER Dr. H. W. Setzer of the Division of Mammals, US National Museum, Washington, DC presented a paper on the above subject. The main points of the paper are summarized here. Numerous rodent species have been implicated in the transmission of the arenaviruses, and it is there- fore necessary that protocols for the study of mam- mals in these and other zoonotic diseases be estab- lished. Of major importance is the proper identifica- tion of mammals involved and this presents certain difficulties, especially with rodents from parts of the world that have been poorly studied. Taxonomic studies should include classical procedures based on morphology and should also include, where possible, more recently developed methods including cyto- genetics, serum protein and haemoglobin patterns, and behavioural characteristics. Whenever possible, ecological information and proper statistical methods should be employed. These include the use of electronic data processing and techniques such as multivariate analysis. Ideally, the role ofmammals in the transmission of zoonotic diseases, including those caused by arena- viruses, should be studied by a team consisting of: an ecologist to determine such things as population densities and the vegetational and other habitat characteristics to which mammalian populations can be linked; a mammalogist responsible for precise species determination from surveyed areas; and a microbiologist to identify the pathogen involved either by isolation or by the study of serum anti- bodies in material collected from the area. For certain rodent-borne diseases involving arthro- pod vectors, a medical entomologist would also be required to monitor population levels of vector parasites. Such studies could be carried out in areas in which the epizootic is known to occur and, whenever pos- sible, in comparable areas thought to be free of the disease. The removal of indigenous mammals from one part of the world to another should be carried out with due caution, since accidental introduction into a new environment may produce serious prob- lems. If it is necessary to use animals for experimental purposes, the studies should preferably be carried out in areas where the animals are indigenous. BULL. WORLD HEALTH ORGAN., Vol. 52, 1975-765