[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Microbiology](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/) › [Other viruses and prions](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/other-viruses-and-prions/) › Hantavirus

[Microbiology](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/) · [Other viruses and prions](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/other-viruses-and-prions/)

# Hantavirus

- Virus
- Enveloped
- For completeness

Viruses of wild rodents caught by breathing dust laden with their urine or droppings; in the Americas they cause a severe pulmonary syndrome.

Updated 2026-11-01

## Key points

- Inhalation of rodent excreta; no arthropod vector.
- Americas: pulmonary syndrome; Europe and Asia: haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome.
- Thrombocytopenia + haemoconcentration + non-cardiogenic pulmonary oedema.
- Andes virus: the only person-to-person spread.
- Prevention: never dry-sweep droppings; wet them with disinfectant first.

## At a glance

**Shape**
Spherical or pleomorphic

**Genome**
Single-stranded, negative-sense, segmented RNA (three segments)

**Envelope**
Enveloped

**Family**
Hantaviridae (order Bunyavirales)

**Size**
About 80 to 120 nm

## Morphology

- Envelope with Gn and Gc glycoproteins
- Three RNA segments (small, medium and large)
- Unlike other Bunyavirales, not carried by an arthropod

## Transmission

- Inhaling dust or droplets contaminated with rodent urine, droppings or saliva, while sweeping or cleaning sheds, cabins or barns
- Rarely by a rodent bite or scratch
- Andes virus (Argentina and Chile) is the only one with documented person-to-person spread

**Reservoir:** Wild rodents, each virus with its own species; infected for life without illness

### Isolation precautions

What the care team adds to standard precautions.

- Standard

## Virulence factors

- Infects capillary endothelium, above all in the lung or kidney
- The immune response raises capillary permeability: non-cardiogenic pulmonary oedema and shock
- Does not directly destroy cells: the damage is mostly immune-mediated

## Diseases it causes

- Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (in the Americas) [Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome →](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome/)
- Haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (Europe and Asia) [Viral haemorrhagic fevers (Ebola and others) →](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/viral-haemorrhagic-fevers/)

## Clinical picture

- Prodrome of fever, fatigue and muscle aches 1 to 8 weeks after exposure
- Then cough, dyspnoea and rapid pulmonary oedema with shock
- Laboratory clue: thrombocytopenia, haemoconcentration and leukocytosis with immunoblasts
- High fatality once respiratory symptoms appear

## Diagnosis

- Serology: specific IgM
- RT-PCR on blood or tissue
- X-ray: bilateral interstitial infiltrates

## Treatment

No specific antiviral: intensive care support with oxygen, mechanical ventilation and, in severe cases, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO); dialysis in the renal syndrome.

Drug class only; doses and regimens are set by the clinician from the current guideline.

## Prevention

- Rodent control and sealing of homes and sheds
- Wet droppings with disinfectant before cleaning; no dry sweeping or vacuuming
- Gloves and respiratory protection when cleaning closed spaces with rodents

## In Colombia

A 2004 study found hantavirus antibodies in rural workers of Córdoba and Sucre, the first evidence of the virus in Colombia; none of them had had the pulmonary syndrome.

## Memory aid

"Hanta in the shed": dust from a closed shed carries mouse urine to the lungs, which flood within hours.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## How do humans catch hantavirus?

Mostly by inhaling dust or droplets contaminated with urine, droppings or saliva of wild rodents.

## Which syndrome do hantaviruses cause in the Americas, and which in Europe and Asia?

In the Americas, pulmonary syndrome; in Europe and Asia, haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome.

## Which hantavirus spreads from person to person?

Andes virus, in Argentina and Chile.

## Which laboratory findings suggest hantavirus pulmonary syndrome?

Thrombocytopenia, haemoconcentration and leukocytosis with atypical lymphocytes or immunoblasts.

[Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/microbiology/hantavirus/)

## Related

- [Arenaviruses (Lassa and the South American haemorrhagic fevers)](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/arenaviruses/)
- [Leptospira interrogans](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/leptospira-interrogans/)
- [Ebola and Marburg viruses (filoviruses)](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/ebola-and-marburg-viruses/)

## Related conditions

- [Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome/)
- [Viral haemorrhagic fevers (Ebola and others)](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/viral-haemorrhagic-fevers/)

## What the colours mean

**Gram-positive**
Thick peptidoglycan wall: stains purple.

**Gram-negative**
Thin wall with an outer membrane: stains pink.

**Acid-fast**
Lipid-rich wall (mycobacteria): Ziehl–Neelsen stain.

[← Back to the group: Other viruses and prions](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/other-viruses-and-prions/)

Educational content on microorganisms; not a treatment guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given.

Sources: [About Hantavirus | Hantavirus | CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/about/index.html) (CDC, 2024); [Serologic Evidence of Hantavirus Infection in Humans, Colombia - Volume 10, Number 12—December 2004 - Emerging Infectious Diseases journal - CDC](https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/10/12/04-0821) (CDC (Emerging Infectious Diseases), 2004); [About Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers | Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHFs) | CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/viral-hemorrhagic-fevers/about/index.html) (CDC, 2024).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/hantavirus/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/hantavirus/