Organisms of Concern but not Foodborne or Confirmed Foodborne: Bolivian Hemorrhagic Fever Virus (Machupo Virus)

Bolivian hemorrhagic fever is a febrile illness caused by an arenavirus, generally transmitted by contact with or inhalation of aerosolized rodent urine. Food can be contaminated by droppings of the infected rodents, becoming source of infection for human beings. Person-to-person infection has been documented, but it is very rare. After an incubation period of 1-2 weeks, the patient experiences chills, fever, headache, muscle ache, anorexia, nausea, and vomiting. The case-fatality rate is 15-100%. In this article, epidemiological and clinical presentations are detailed and reviewed, and implications for food safety are included as this is a zoonotic foodborne disease.