Hantaviridae
Family of viruses
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hantaviridae is a family of negative-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses in the order Bunyaviricetes.[1][2] Unlike other members of the Bunyavirales, hantaviruses are not spread by biting insects, and instead persistently infect rodent hosts without ill-effect.[3]
| Hantaviridae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Transmission electron micrograph of Sin Nombre virus | |
Virus classification  | |
| (unranked): | Virus |
| Realm: | Riboviria |
| Kingdom: | Orthornavirae |
| Phylum: | Negarnaviricota |
| Class: | Bunyaviricetes |
| Order: | Elliovirales |
| Family: | Hantaviridae |
| Subfamilies and genera | |
|
See text | |
It is named for the Hantan River area in South Korea where an early outbreak was observed.[4]
Impact
Hantaviruses are estimated to impact approximately 200,000 people annually worldwide and are responsible for causing two acute febrile illnesses in humans: Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome.[2][5][6]
There are currently no licensed treatments or vaccinations available for hantavirus, however, multiple drugs have been shown to improve survival rates, including lactoferrin, ribavirin, favipiravir and vandetanib.[2]
Human infection with hantaviruses typically arises from exposure to virus-contaminated aerosols or contact with infected rodents, the natural host of the virus.[3][5] The only known exception to this is the Andes virus, the only hantavirus where person-to-person transmission has been recorded.[5]
Taxonomy
The family contains the following subfamilies and genera (-virinae denotes subfamily and -virus denotes genus):[7]
- Actantavirinae
- Actinovirus
- Percilovirus
- Agantavirinae
- Agnathovirus
- Mammantavirinae
- Loanvirus
- Mobatvirus
- Orthohantavirus
- Thottimvirus
- Repantavirinae
- Reptillovirus
Hantavirus outbreaks
In the past century, there have been two major hantavirus outbreaks: the first was during the Korean War (1950–1953), where 3,000 US troops were affected. The second outbreak was documented in the Four Corners area of the United States in 1993.[2][5]
Hantaviridae were involved in the 2026 MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak.[8]