[Cases of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Amur Province associated with the rat serotype of the virus].

To carry out serodiagnosis and to determine the serotype of the virus causing hemorrhagic fever with the renal syndrome (HFRS), paired sera obtained from 28 HFRS patients, 42 persons with a history of HFRS (1-17 years after convalescence), and 268 serum samples from healthy persons residing at the areas with the natural foci of this infection have been studied by indirect immunofluorescence techniques at the territory of the Amur Province. This study has demonstrated for the first time that, alongside the diseases caused by HFRS virus of serotype Apodemus, HFRS viruses of serotype Rattus and an unidentified serotype serve as the source of infection for the population of the Amur region. The leading role of serotype Rattus in HFRS has been confirmed by the detection of antibodies mainly to this serotype in serum samples taken from convalescents after HFRS and from the healthy population of the areas with the foci of HFRS virus infection.