Group Group V ((−)ssRNA) Family Bunyaviridae Rank Species | Order Unassigned Genus Hantavirus | |
Similar Puumala virus, Seoul virus, Bunyaviridae, Andes virus, Striped field mouse | ||
Hantaan virus (HTNV) is an enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus species of Old World Hantavirus. It is the causative agent of Korean Hemorrhagic Fever in humans.
Contents
Natural reservoir
Apodemus agrarius, also known as striped field mouse, is the etiological agent of Hantaan virus.
Transmission
Transmission is believed to be through inhalation of aersolized rodent urine and feces.
Morbidity and mortality
In hantavirus induced hemorrhagic fever, incubation time is between two and four weeks in humans before symptoms of infection present. Severity of symptoms depends on the viral load. Like Dobrava-Belgrade virus, Hantaan virus has a mortality rate of 10 to 12%.
History
During the Korean War (1951–1953), more than 3000 American and Korean troops fell ill with renal failure, hemorrhage, and shock. The cause remained unknown until 1976 when Karl M. Johnson an American tropical virologist and his colleagues, including Korean virologist, Lee Ho Wang (Ho Wang Lee), isolated Hantaan virus from the lungs of striped field mice.