Bloodland Lake virus


Bloodland Lake virus is a single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus of New World Orthohantavirus first isolated in a Prairie vole near Bloodland Lake, Fort Leonard Wood, Pulaski County, Missouri in 1994. BLLV has also been isolated in Prairie voles in St. Louis County, Missouri.

Natural reservoir

BLLV is unique to the Prairie vole. At the time of its discovery in Pulaski County in 1994, rats and mice trapped along with the Prairie vole tested negative for the virus but did test positive for other hantaviruses.

Transmission

Transmission is via either direct contact with rodent excreta, or through droplet respiration due to aersolization of rodent urine, saliva and/or feces. Transmission of hantavirus to humans from arvicoline species in North America has not been documented. To date, the only known transmissions of hantaviruses to humans have come from rats, bats, and mice.