Hantavirus Diseases – A Comprehensive Review
Kalaiselvan Sagadevan *
Sri Sakthi Amma Institute of Biomedical Research, Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Centre, Sripuram, Vellore-632055, Tamil Nadu, India.
Balaji Nandagopal
Sri Sakthi Amma Institute of Biomedical Research, Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Centre, Sripuram, Vellore-632055, Tamil Nadu, India.
Mageshbabu Ramamurthy
Sri Sakthi Amma Institute of Biomedical Research, Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Centre, Sripuram, Vellore-632055, Tamil Nadu, India.
Nithiyanandan Saravanan
Sri Sakthi Amma Institute of Biomedical Research, Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Centre, Sripuram, Vellore-632055, Tamil Nadu, India.
Prashanth Rajendiran
Sri Sakthi Amma Institute of Biomedical Research, Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Centre, Sripuram, Vellore-632055, Tamil Nadu, India.
Harikrishnan Narayanan
Sri Sakthi Amma Institute of Biomedical Research, Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Centre, Sripuram, Vellore-632055, Tamil Nadu, India.
Kumaran Vadivel
Sri Sakthi Amma Institute of Biomedical Research, Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Centre, Sripuram, Vellore-632055, Tamil Nadu, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Hantaviruses are a diverse group of infectious agents which are zoonotic in nature and transmitted to humans through rodent reservoir. Hantaviruses are enveloped RNA viruses that persistently infect rodent hosts without ill-effect. The host persistently excretes virus in urine and saliva. Man becomes infected from the rodents when one enters the ecological niche of the other. Hantaviruses can cause two types of diseases in humans: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS). The number of reported Hantavirus infections is increasing worldwide, and new Hantaviruses are being discovered in many countries, making them a global public health concern. Hantavirus infections are thought to be under diagnosed due to the fact that they frequently cause asymptomatic and nonspecific mild infections, as well as a lack of simple standardized diagnostic laboratory methods. This review summarizes current knowledge on Hantaviral infections, including virology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, laboratory diagnostics, treatment, and prevention.
Keywords: Hantavirus, HCPS, HFRS, rodent infection, hemorrhagic fever, pulmonary syndrome