The French government said it has now completed genetic sequencing of the Andes virus detected in a passenger who fell ill after traveling on the MV Hondius cruise ship, and that the virus appears to align with previously known strains circulating in South America. Officials framed the results as evidence that, at least based on the data reviewed so far, the pathogen has not taken on new genetic features that would make it more transmissible or more dangerous.
Pasteur Institute officials said their genomic work involved fully sequencing the Andes virus found in the French passenger and comparing it with viruses already monitored in South America. Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said on X that “The analyzed virus corresponds to the viruses already known and monitored in South America,” and added that “At this stage, no element suggests the emergence” of a more dangerous or more transmissible form of the virus.
Pasteur said the virus identified in the French passenger matched the virus detected in other cases aboard the same ship, and it also closely resembled known Andes virus samples circulating in South America. Pasteur said the viruses detected in patients from the ship were identical to each other, and about 97% similar to some Andes viruses circulating in the region, including ones that have been identified in rodents.
Jean-Claude Manuguerra, who heads Pasteur’s Environment and Infectious Risk unit, said the remaining genetic variation appeared to reflect natural viral changes. He said the variation did not seem to affect the characteristics of the virus detected among travelers, according to Pasteur’s reported interpretation of the sequencing data.
Rist said the sequencing work would help authorities better understand the virus and ensure “close health monitoring.” She also said the data would be shared with the international scientific community, as health agencies continue to investigate how the outbreak emerged on the cruise and to monitor possible additional cases.
French authorities previously said the passenger tested positive after traveling aboard the MV Hondius and was being treated in Paris, with officials describing her condition as serious before the sequencing findings were disclosed. Health officials said the outbreak tied to the ship had reached 11 cases, with nine confirmed, and that three people on the cruise died, including a Dutch couple whom health officials believe were the first exposed to the virus while visiting South America.