Other hantaviruses

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses other types of hantaviruses such as Puumala and Dobrava, which are quite different from the hantaviruses that caused an outbreak of a flu in Four Corners in America. The disease caused by puumala is nephropathia epidemica (NE) and is far milder than the hemorrhagic kidney disease (HFRS) caused by Hantaan, but is still a very unpleasant disease, with fever, back pain, headache, and decreased urine production followed by a massive increase. The severe nature of Dobrava HFRS makes it unlikely that it has remained unnoticed in large numbers. The chapter also talks about several types of hantaviruses that have not been linked to any disease to mankind and are harmless. Hantaviruses can be divided into groups: at the genetic level there are at least seven. Hantaviruses are able to infect a wide range of host animals. At least 71 possible hosts were identified in one Chinese study, a number that includes Homo sapiens sapiens: humans.