An Arenavirus Isolated from Wild-caught Rodents (Pramys Species) in the Central African Republic

We isolated nine arenavirus strains from blood and/or tissues of Praomys sp. rodents wild-caught in derived savannah and forest gallery areas of the Central African Republic (CAR). Convalescent serum from either humans or animals infected by Lassa, Mozambique, or lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus cross-reacted with the strains from the CAR. However, monoclonal antibodies to these three viruses gave a profile against the CAR strains suggesting major antigenic differences between each of them and the CAR virus. These data along with the fact that other African arenaviruses have been recovered from Mastomys natalensis and not Praomys suggest that this virus is significantly different from the others.