
Previous studies suggest that the risk of human infection by hantavirus, a family of rodent-borne viruses, might be affected by different environmental determinants such as land cover, land use and land use change. This study examined the association between land-cover, land-use, land use change, and human hantavirus infection risk. PubMed and Scopus databases were interrogated using terms relative to land use (change) and human hantavirus disease. Screening and selection of the articles were completed by three independent reviewers. Classes of land use assessed by the different studies were categorized into three macro-categories of exposure (‘Agriculture’, ‘Forest Cover’, ‘Urban Areas’) to qualitatively synthesize the direction of the association between exposure variables and hantavirus infection risk in humans. A total of 25 articles were included, with 14 studies (56%) conducted in China, 4 studies (16%) conducted in South America and 7 studies (28%) conducted in Europe. Most of the studies (88%) evaluated land cover or land use, while 3 studies (12%) evaluated land use change, all in relation to hantavirus infection risk. We observed that land cover and land-use categories could affect hantavirus infection incidence. Overall, agricultural land use was positively associated with increased human hantavirus infection risk, particularly in China and Brazil. In Europe, a positive association between forest cover and hantavirus infection incidence was observed. Studies that assessed the relationship between built-up areas and hantavirus infection risk were more variable, with studies reporting positive, negative or no associations.
Orthohantavirus, China, Hantavirus Infections, Public Health; disease outbreaks/prevention & control; disease transmission, infectious diseases; disease vectors; epidemiology, Agriculture, South America, Forests, Risk Assessment, Europe, Risk Factors, Humans, Animals
Orthohantavirus, China, Hantavirus Infections, Public Health; disease outbreaks/prevention & control; disease transmission, infectious diseases; disease vectors; epidemiology, Agriculture, South America, Forests, Risk Assessment, Europe, Risk Factors, Humans, Animals
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 3 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
