Molecular identification of Puumala orthohantavirus in Bulgaria.

In Bulgaria, only Dobrava orthohantavirus has been detected in patients and in rodents. In order to elucidate possible Puumala orthohantavirus (PUUV) circulation, 131 bank voles (Myodes glareolus) were captured. PUUV RNA was detected in 14 (10.7%). Partial L segment sequences were recovered from six M. glareolus. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all PUUV sequences from this study clustered together among the Alpe-Adrian lineage. It is the first genetic evidence of the virus circulation in a Balkan country outside north-western Balkans. The findings in this study extended the known edge of virus distribution towards Southeastern Europe.