- Carried on rodents (living or dead)
- Infected person may not recall contact with animal (inhaled aerosolized virus) or by bites/touching animal (or urine, feces)
- There are multiple viruses within the hantavirus family, carried by different rodents
- Old World Hantavirus (Asia) - hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome
- New World Hantavirus (North, Central and South America) - cardiopulmonary syndrome
- Highest in Western US (for Hantavirus in North America): CA, NM, CO, AZ
- Peak season Spring and Summer (can occur other times of year too)
- Then rapidly progressive resp sx
- Severe disease can affect lungs and heart (hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome)
- Fever and abnormal vital signs
- Lung findings of pulmonary edema
- Diagnosis by PCR, Serology
- CXR
- Severe disease with thrombocytopenia, leukocytosis, hemoconcentration