Work

A Global Perspective on Hantavirus Ecology, Epidemiology, and Disease

Year: 2010

Type: review

Abstract: Hantaviruses are enzootic viruses that maintain persistent infections in their rodent hosts without apparent disease symptoms. The spillover of these viruses to humans can lead to one of two serious illnesses, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. In recent years, there has been an improved understanding of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and natural history of these viruses following an increase in the number of outbreaks in the Americas. In this review, current concepts regarding the ecology of and disease associated with these serious human pathogens are presented. Priorities for future research suggest an integration of the ecology and evolution of these and other host-virus ecosystems through modeling and hypothesis-driven research with the risk of emergence, host switching/spillover, and disease transmission to humans.

Source: Clinical Microbiology Reviews

DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00062-09

Authors: Colleen B. Jonsson, Luiz Tadeu Moraes Figueiredo, Olli Vapalahti

Institutions: University of Louisville, Universidade de São Paulo, University of Helsinki

Language: English

Topic: Viral Infections and Vectors

Subfield: Infectious Diseases

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: Fogarty International Center