Hantaviruses are rodent viruses that have been identified as etiologic agents of 2 diseases of humans: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). This article presents a concise review of hantavirus biology, the medical features of HFRS and HPS, and tests for the detection of hantavirus infections in humans.
Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome is a disease found outside the Americas and denotes a group of clinically similar illnesses that vary in severity relative to the causative agent. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is associated with higher mortality than HFRS, was first recognized as a hantavirus disease in 1993, and occurs within the American continents. Recent genetic studies show that both Old and New World hantavirus species coevolved with specific rodent hosts. The list of distinct hantaviruses associated with HPS is growing. The burgeoning human population is causing disruption of natural habitats as more and more land is cleared for commercial and residential purposes. Many rodents readily adapt to life in human settlements, where they generally benefit from reduced predation and where they sometimes proliferate to high numbers.
Although often referred to as emerging pathogens, HPS-associated hantaviruses emerge through increased exposure of humans to rodents and their excreta, not through genetic drift or reassortment of the viral genome. Based on current human population growth and development trends, hantavirus diseases will become more common in the near future unless public health measures are taken to curtail or eliminate rodents from human communities.