Description
Summary:We screened 526 wild small mammals for zoonotic viruses in northwest Spain and found hantavirus in common voles (Microtus arvalis) (1.5%) and high prevalence (48%) of orthopoxvirus among western Mediterranean mice (Mus spretus). We also detected arenavirus among small mammals. These findings suggest novel risks for viral transmission in the region. This work was funded by the projects ECOTULA (grant no. CGL2015-66962-C2-1-R) and BOOMRAT (grant no. PID2019-109327RB-I00) funded by the Government of Spain, and GESINTTOP, co-funded by Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla-y-León–Junta de Castilla-y-León, Diputación Provincial de Palencia, and Diputación Provincial de Valladolid. S.H.C. was supported by a Ph.D. studentship from Junta de Castilla-y-León (co-funded by the European Social Fund) and an Erasmus+ Mobility grant. R.R.P. was supported by a PhD studentship from the University of Valladolid (co‑funded by Banco Santander). Peer reviewed