About Hantavirus
Comprehensive medical information about hantavirus infections, how they occur, what they feel like, and how healthcare providers diagnose and manage them.
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS)
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is a severe, sometimes fatal respiratory disease caused by infection with hantaviruses. It was first recognized in 1993 during an outbreak in the Four Corners region of the United States.
The Sin Nombre virus ("virus with no name" in Spanish) is the predominant hantavirus strain in North America. Deer mice serve as the primary reservoir and shed the virus throughout their lifetimes without becoming ill themselves.
HPS primarily affects the lungs, causing them to fill with fluid — a condition called pulmonary edema. This can cause breathing to become extremely difficult and lead to respiratory failure within hours in severe cases.
Symptom Timeline
- No symptoms present
- Virus replicating in body
- Person is not contagious
- Fever (101–104°F / 38.3–40°C)
- Fatigue and malaise
- Muscle aches (myalgia), especially hips, thighs, back
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Chills
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea (sometimes)
- Cough (initially dry, may become productive)
- Shortness of breath (dyspnea)
- Rapid breathing (tachypnea)
- Fluid accumulation in lungs (pulmonary edema)
- Falling blood pressure
- Heart rhythm irregularities
- Shock may develop
- Rapid improvement in lung function
- Breathing normalizes
- Fatigue may persist weeks to months
- No long-term lung damage in most survivors
Diagnosis & Treatment
Laboratory Diagnosis
Diagnosis is confirmed through serology (IgM/IgG antibodies), PCR testing on blood, or immunohistochemistry on tissue. Early HPS can look like influenza — mention rodent exposure to your doctor. Chest X-rays reveal characteristic bilateral infiltrates in the lungs.
Supportive Treatment
There is no specific antiviral treatment for HPS. Patients require intensive care including supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation, and careful fluid management. ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) has been used in severe cases to support heart and lung function.
Early Intervention Matters
Patients who are hospitalized early — before respiratory failure — have significantly better outcomes. Ribavirin has been studied but has not shown clear benefit in clinical trials. Research into specific antivirals continues at CDC and NIH.