Survey of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus diagnosis and testing--Connecticut, 2005.

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is a rodent borne virus that can be transmitted to humans through exposure to rodent urine, feces, saliva, or blood. LCMV infection is often asymptomatic or mild but can cause aseptic meningitis, encephalitis, life-threatening infections in immunosuppressed persons, and severe congenital defects . In May 2005, LCMV was implicated in the deaths of three organ transplant recipients who had received organs from a common donor who had likely been infected from a pet rodent. In August 2005, the Connecticut Department of Public Health conducted surveys of hospital laboratories and infectious disease (ID) physicians in Connecticut to determine recent incidence of confirmed LCMV infection, the level of awareness of LCMV, and the frequency of LCMV testing. This report summarizes the results of those surveys, which indicate that awareness of LCMV is high among ID physicians; however, testing for LCMV is infrequent, and ID physicians might not be aware of the need to consider LCMV among the most susceptible populations even when a history of rodent contact is not initially evident. In part because of these findings, LCMV infection is now a physician- and laboratory-reportable disease in Connecticut. More systematic efforts are needed to determine the frequency of LCMV infection and to monitor for pet rodent infection.