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[Clipped from the Arizona Archaeological Council's AAC Newsletter,' Volume
19 Number 3, October 1995]
HEALTH ISSUES IN ARIZONA ARCHAEOLOGY: UPDATE 1995
T. Michael Fink and David M. Engelthaler
Arizona Dept. of Health Services
Since publication of hantivirus guidelines in the July 1994 issue of the AAC
Newsletter (Vol. 19, No. 3), 33 additional cases of Hantavirus Pulmonary
Syndrome (HPS) have been reported in the United States, with 15 deaths. This
brings the national total to 113 cases and 58 deaths, a mortality rate of 52%.
Twenty-three states now have reported HPS cases.
The name of the hantavirus strain responsible for the 1993 HPS outbreak in the
American Southwest has been changed from the Muerto Canyon Virus to the Sin
Nombre Virus (SNV). In addition to the SNV, five other hantaviruses have been
found in rodent populations in the United States. These include the Black
Creek Canal (Florida), Bayou (Louisiana and the South), Prospect Hill (Centra
states), Seoul (port cities), New York I (New York), and El Morro Canyon
(Southwestern) viruses. It is possible that more viruses will be found as
research continues.
A recently published study by Zeitz et al. (1995) has identified several
factors that could potentially lead to hantavirus exposures. These include
extensive small rodent infestations in households, frequent small rodent
exposures, and agricultural or peridomestic cleaning activities. Because many
activities identified in this study have archaeological analogs, previous
concerns for HPS in Arizona's archaeological community have been
substantiated. For example, opening seasonally abandoned structures for
herding or farming activities is directly analogous to the opening of temporary
housing for field school facilities or other seasonal excavations. Similarly,
exposure to soil and dust by agricultural workers is analogous to the exposure
of field workers in archaeological excavation. Recently documented HPS cases
associated with outdoor activities, e.g., hiking and camping (contrary to Zeitz
et al.'s findings, but they did not have access to these later cases),
demonstrating that outdoor infections, while rare, can occur, provide
additional cause for concern among archaeologists.
An interesting finding of the Zeitz et al. study is that HPS cases are rare
despite the eminent potential for hantavirus exposures among high risk groups
(e.g., farm workers, mammalogists, Park Service personnel, etc.), which is
probably why no archaeologist has yet come down with HPS (two Arizona
archaeologists have been tested, however). Nevertheless, the overall findings
of the study imply that archaeologists should still consider using the
risk-reduction methods previously published in this newsletter and elsewhere
(Fink 1994a, 1994b, 1994c). An article concerning hantavirus prevention for
archaeologists (Fink and Zeitz 1995) has been submitted to the Journal of Field
Archaeology.
The Vector-borne and Zoonotic Disease Section of the Arizona Department of
Health Services (VBZDADHS) has recently completed an 18-month study of the
distribution of hantavirus among the different rodents and biomes of Arizona. A
total of 1187 rodents and small mammals of 37 different species, taken from
nearly every biome in Arizona, has been tested for SNV antibodies. There were
101 SNV-positive animals, representing eight different species (Table 1). The
deer mouse and its close relatives (brush mouse, pinyon mouse, white-footed
mouse, and cactus mouse) are thought to be the primary reservoirs for the virus
and are the main culprits in the spread of the disease to humans. It is still
uncertain whether the other positive rodents listed in Table I play a role in
the spread of this virus, or if they maintain their own hantaviruses that are
non-pathogenic to humans. VBZD staff are still advising the public to consider
all rodents suspect and to use the previously mentioned risk-reduction methods
when coming into contact with any rodents or rodent-contaminated material.
Rodents testing positive or human cases have been found throughout the state,
from the Sonoran deserts in southern Arizona to the spruce alpine north of the
Grand Canyon. Infection rates in rodents and humans probably vary from
location to location and from season to season. Ongoing studies are trying to
determine any possible associations between environmental factors at the
locations of human case sites and the time of year the disease was contracted.
Such evidence would increase the ability to direct HPS education and prevention
efforts for a specific area during the appropriate time of the year. Until
this research is completed, however, VBZD staff am still advising
risk-reduction methods throughout the state, year-round.
Other Arizona field studies art focusing on monthly rodent densities and
infection rates for specific rodent populations over a long period of time (2
to 3 years). VBZDADHS is contracting with Yavapai Community College and the
University of Arizona to conduct this longitudinal research. Ongoing research
is confirming many of the suspicions researchers had concerning the
distribution and risk of hantaviral illness in the U.S. Unless current
hantavirus facts and perceptions drastically change, it is unlikely that
additional hantavirus updates in this newsletter will be necessary.
Since the Spring of 1994, articles concerning various health issues in
archaeology have appeared in several issues of The Petroglyph, the newsletter
of the Arizona Archaeological Society (AAS). The impetus for writing these
articles was the hantavirus outbreak of 1993 (Fink 1994b, 1994c). However,
with the support of the editor of The Petroglyph, Taara Bergquist, a series of
articles dedicated to health and safety was initiated under the heading 'Health
Issues for the Arizona Archaeologist.' For those AAC members who do not belong
to the AAS, the topics discussed thus far include: plague (Vol. 30, No. 6, pp.
6-10), hantavirus update (Vol. 30, No. 8, pp. 7-10), mosquito-borne
encephalitis (Vol. 30, No. 9, pp. 8-10), rabies and animal bites (Vol. 30, No.
10, pp. 6-8), bats and public health (Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 6-9), conenose bugs
(Vol. 31, No. 2, pp. 5-8), and (Vol. 31, No. 5, pp. 11-14). Additional topics
to be addressed in the future include tick-borne fungal and sunlight related
diseases. For additional information on these and other related subjects,
please contact the staff of the Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Disease Section,
Arizona Department of Health Services, Phoenix, AZ 85015, (602) 230-5919.
References:
Fink, T. M.
1994a Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome and Southwestern Archaeologists: A Protocol
for Risk Reduction. Kiva 59(3):363-365.
1994b Suggested Guidelines for Hantavirus Related Rodent Clean-Up and Control
for Archaeologists. The Petroglyph 30(4):8-10.
1994c Hantavirus Facts for Arizona Archaeologists. The Petroglyph 30(5):9-11.
Fink, T. M., and P. S. Zeitz
1995 Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome and Field Archaeology: Guidelines for
Risk Reduction. Submitted to Journal of Field Archaeology.
Zeitz, P. S., J. C. Butler, J. E. Cheek, and others
1995 A Case-Control Study of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome during an
Outbreak in the Southwestern United States. Journal of Infectious Disease 171:
864-870.
Table 1. Hantavirus-Antibody-Positive Rodents, Arizona, 1993-1995*
Total No. Number %
Rodent Species Tested Positive Positive
Door Mouse 214 52 24.3
Brush Mouse 99 21 21.2
Pinyon Mouse 72 12 16.7
White-Footed Mouse 10 5 50.0
Cactus Mouse 51 3 5.9
Western Harvest Mouse 32 6 18.8
White-Throated Woodrat 166 1 0.6
Desert Pocket Mouse 72 1 1.4
*Combined results from human cases investigations and habitat study
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