Strains

Hantavirus strains and the diseases they cause

Hantaviruses are a family of rodent-borne viruses that cause two distinct human syndromes — hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the Americas and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Europe and Asia. Each strain has a specific rodent host, geographic range and clinical profile.

Andes virus (ANDV)

HPS · Argentina, Chile, southern Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia, Paraguay

HPS

Andes virus is the dominant hantavirus in the Southern Cone of South America. It is the only hantavirus species with documented person-to-person transmission, which is why public health agencies place travel-linked clusters such as the MV Hondius event under heightened surveillance.

Host: Long-tailed pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus) and related Oligoryzomys species
Case fatality: 30 to 50 percent in confirmed HPS cases

Sin Nombre virus (SNV)

HPS · Western United States, Canada, northern Mexico

HPS

Sin Nombre virus is the most common hantavirus in North America and the cause of the original 1993 Four Corners hantavirus pulmonary syndrome outbreak. Deer mouse populations track precipitation cycles, so case counts spike after wet years.

Host: Deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus)
Case fatality: 30 to 40 percent in confirmed HPS cases

Puumala virus (PUUV)

HFRS · Finland, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, France, Germany, Russia

HFRS

Puumala virus causes a mild form of HFRS known as nephropathia epidemica (NE). Most cases are reported from Fennoscandia, where bank vole population peaks every three to four years drive outbreak years.

Host: Bank vole (Myodes glareolus)
Case fatality: Less than 1 percent

Hantaan virus (HTNV)

HFRS · China, South Korea, eastern Russia

HFRS

Hantaan virus is the prototype hantavirus and the cause of severe HFRS in East Asia. It remains a leading cause of hospitalised infectious nephritis in rural China and Korea.

Host: Striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius)
Case fatality: 5 to 15 percent

Seoul virus (SEOV)

HFRS · Worldwide, wherever Norway and black rats are established

HFRS

Seoul virus is the only hantavirus with a worldwide distribution because its rodent host follows global shipping routes. Recent clusters in pet rat keepers have prompted CDC and UKHSA advisories.

Host: Norway rat and black rat (Rattus norvegicus, Rattus rattus)
Case fatality: 1 to 2 percent

Dobrava-Belgrade virus (DOBV)

HFRS · Balkans and Eastern Europe

HFRS

Dobrava-Belgrade virus causes the most severe form of HFRS in Europe. The Apodemus flavicollis lineage is associated with higher case-fatality than Puumala or the Apodemus agrarius lineage.

Host: Yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) and striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius)
Case fatality: Up to 12 percent for the Apodemus flavicollis (DOBV-Af) lineage