Species

Hantaan virus (HTNV)

The prototype hantavirus — isolated in 1976 by Ho Wang Lee from striped field mice trapped near the Hantan River in present-day South Korea. The discovery gave the entire Hantaviridae family its name.

Hantaan virus vs "hantavirus" — naming explained

The two are easy to confuse. "Hantavirus" is the colloquial family name that covers Sin Nombre, Andes, Hantaan, Seoul, Puumala and others. "Hantaan virus" is one specific species within that family. The Hantan River in South Korea is the source of both names.

Symptoms — severe HFRS

1. Febrile (3–7 d): sudden fever, severe muscle pain, headache, conjunctival injection, petechiae, flushing of face and neck.
2. Hypotensive (hours – 2 d): capillary leak, shock; ~one-third of deaths happen here.
3. Oliguric (3–7 d): acute kidney injury, hemorrhage; most deaths cluster in this phase.
4. Diuretic (days – weeks): massive urine output (3–6 L/day).
5. Convalescent: renal function recovers over weeks to months.

Treatment

Aggressive supportive care — fluid management, vasopressors, hemodialysis when needed. IV ribavirin reduces mortality if started within the first 4–7 days of severe Hantaan disease; routinely used in China and parts of East Asia. See Syndromes.

Vaccine

Hantavax (South Korea, 1990) targets Hantaan virus. Chinese bivalent vaccines cover Hantaan and Seoul. About 2 million doses are administered annually in China and credited with the major drop in HFRS incidence since the 1990s. Neither is licensed in the US or EU. More on vaccines →

History

The two-decade search for the cause of "Korean hemorrhagic fever" — first identified in ~3,000 UN troops during the 1951–1953 Korean War — ended in 1976 when Lee et al. isolated the virus from Apodemus agrarius lungs near the Hantan River. The 1978 cell-culture isolation cemented the discovery. More on the discovery →

FAQ