Hantavirus Infection
Hantavirus infection is a viral disease that is spread from rodents to people and causes severe infections of the lungs and kidneys.
Hantaviruses are present throughout the world in the urine, feces, and saliva of various rodents. People acquire the infection by having contact with rodents or their droppings, or possibly by inhaling virus particles in places with large amounts of rodent droppings. No evidence of person-to-person spread has been found.
There are five different strains of hantavirus, some of which affect different parts of the body. Recent outbreaks of infection with a hantavirus strain affecting the lungs have occurred in the southwestern United States.
Symptoms of hantavirus infection begin with fever and muscle pain. Abdominal pain, diarrhea, or vomiting also may develop. Other symptoms depend on which virus strain is involved. After 4 to 5 days, a person with infection involving the lungs develops a cough and shortness of breath, which may become severe within hours. Lung infection can be fatal. Other virus strains mainly affect the kidney. People with kidney infection have fever, headache, backache, abdominal pain, rash, and very low blood pressure (shock). Urine output may cease (anuria). In some people, symptoms of kidney infection are mild and complete recovery occurs. In others, symptoms become severe, with death occurring in 5% of cases.
Treatment mostly involves supportive care. Providing oxygen and treatment to stabilize the blood pressure appear to be most crucial to recovery from illness. For kidney damage, dialysis may be needed and can be lifesaving.
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