About
An overview of hantavirus
"Hantavirus" is the informal name for any member of the family Hantaviridae. The medically important rodent-borne species sit in the genus Orthohantavirus, in the order Bunyavirales. They are enveloped, segmented, negative-sense single-stranded RNA viruses that live as life-long, asymptomatic infections inside wild rodents (and, more recently recognized, some shrews, moles and bats) and reach humans almost exclusively by inhalation of aerosolized rodent excreta.
In people, hantaviruses cause two distinct severe diseases: Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS / HCPS) in the Americas, and Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) across Eurasia. What makes them notable is the combination of a rodent-only natural cycle, no insect vector, very high case-fatality for some viruses (up to ~35–40% for New World HPS), and the lack of a licensed vaccine or specific antiviral in the US or EU.
Hantaviruses are the only members of the order Bunyavirales not spread by an arthropod (no mosquito, no tick). The reservoir is rodents; the route is breathing.
Quick facts
- Family / genus
- Hantaviridae / Orthohantavirus (order Bunyavirales)
- Genome
- Tri-segmented, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA (S, M, L)
- Encoded proteins
- N (nucleocapsid), Gn + Gc (envelope spikes), L (RdRp)
- Reservoirs
- Wild rodents — deer mouse, bank vole, striped field mouse, brown rat, rice rats, cotton rats
- Transmission
- Inhalation of aerosolized rodent urine, feces or saliva. No insect vector. Person-to-person only with Andes virus.
- Two main syndromes
- HPS / HCPS (Americas), HFRS (Eurasia, including mild "nephropathia epidemica")
- Global burden
- ~150,000 HFRS cases / year (mostly China); a few hundred HPS cases / year
- Mortality
- <1% (Puumala) to ~35–40% (Sin Nombre / Andes HPS)
- Vaccine
- None in US/EU. Inactivated vaccines licensed in South Korea (Hantavax) and China.
- Treatment
- Supportive ICU; ECMO for HPS; ribavirin used for HFRS in Asia.
Where to go next
- Virology — genome, virion structure, replication.
- Syndromes — HPS vs HFRS, the species table, mortality.
- Transmission — how humans actually catch it.
- Prevention — the CDC cleanup protocol.
- Vaccine — what's licensed, what's in development.
- Outbreaks — recent and historic clusters.
- History — Korean War to the 2026 Andes-virus cluster.
- Glossary — terms in plain English.
Frequently asked questions
What is hantavirus and how do you get it?
A family of rodent-borne RNA viruses. Humans catch it by inhaling dust contaminated with rodent urine, feces or saliva.
What is hantavirus caused by?
Orthohantaviruses — Sin Nombre, Andes, Hantaan, Seoul, Puumala, Dobrava and others, each tied to a specific rodent host.
Is hantavirus rare?
Yes. About 30–50 US HPS cases a year and ~150,000 HFRS cases globally (mostly China).
Is hantavirus contagious between humans?
Almost never. Andes virus in South America is the only hantavirus with documented person-to-person spread.
Are dogs and cats affected by hantavirus?
No. Pets don't develop the disease and don't transmit it. They can, however, bring rodents indoors.