Isolation of Machupo Virus from Wild Rodent Calomys callosus

Abstract

Summary Nine virus strains were recovered from a small group of tissues from the wild rodent Calomys callosus captured in the area of San Joaquín, Bolivia, in 1963. Each virus was successfully reisolated and shown to be serologically related to Machupo virus, the etiologic agent of Bolivian Hemorrhagic Fever. Virus was not isolated from 33 specimens obtained from rodents of the genera Proechimys and Oryzomys. These data provide the first evidence for existence of a potential non-human reservoir of Machupo virus infection.