Hantaviruses: Could They Be the Cause of a New Pandemic?

Nurcan Arıkan

Hantaviruses: Could They Be the Cause of a New Pandemic?

Abstract

Hantaviruses are zoonotic infectious agents of viral hemorrhagic fever, transmitted by rodents. They are endemic in different geographical areas depending on the prevalence of reservoir rodents worldwide. Clinical course can vary depending on the causative hantavirus species. Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome has a more severe clinical presentation and higher mortality rate than hantavirus renal syndrome. The only hantavirus that spreads from human to human is Andes virus. Andes virus is the hantavirus that causes disease and cardiopulmonary syndrome in the Americas. Recent increases in outbreaks in the Americas have created fear of a new pandemic worldwide. However, because human-to-human transmission is less common than with pandemic-causing agents, the World Health Organization considers it a low risk to global public health. The aim of this review is to present current information on hantavirus infections, which have once again sparked pandemic fears globally.

Keywords

References

Ala-Houhala, I., Koskinen, M., Ahola, T., Harmoinen, A., Kouri, T., Laurila, K., Mustonen, J., & Pasternack, A. (2002). Increased glomerular permeability in patients with nephropathia epidemica caused by Puumala hantavirus. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, 17 (2), 246-252. https://doi.org/10.1093/ndt/17.2.246
Alonso, D. O., Iglesias, A., Coelho, R., Periolo, N., Bruno, A., Córdoba, M. T., Filomarino, N., Quipildor, M., Biondo, E., Fortunato, E., Bellomo, C., & Martínez, V. P. (2019). Epidemiological description, case-fatality rate, and trends of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome: 9 years of surveillance in Argentina. Journal of Medical Virology, 91 (7), 1173-1181. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.25446
Castel, G., Tordo, N., & Plyusnin, A. (2017). Estimation of main diversification time-points of hantaviruses using phylogenetic analyses of complete genomes. Virus Research, 233, 60-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virusres.2017.03.011
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1993). Acute disease outbreak—Southwestern United States, 1993. MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 42, 421.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2005). Hantavirus. www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/ (Accessed on September 07, 2005).
Deutz, A., Fuchs, K., Nowotny, N., Auer, H., Schuller, W., Stünzner, D., Aspöck, H., Kerbl, U., & Köfer, J. (2003). Seroepidemiologische untersuchungen von jägern auf zoonosen—vergleich mit untersuchungen bei tierärzten, landwirten und schlachthofarbeitern [Sero-epidemiological studies of zoonotic infections in hunters—comparative analysis with veterinarians, farmers, and labor workers]. Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift, 115 (Suppl. 3), 61-67.
Douron, E., Moriniere, B., Matheron, S., Girard, P. M., Gonzalez, J. P., Hirsch, F., & McCormick, J. B. (1984). HFRS after a wild rodent bite in the Haute-Savoie—and risk of exposure to Hantaan-like virus in a Paris laboratory. Lancet, 1 (8378), 676-677. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(84)92187-1
Enría, D., Padula, P., Segura, E. L., Pini, N., Edelstein, A., Posse, C. R., & Weissenbacher, M. C. (1996). Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in Argentina. Possibility of person to person transmission. Medicina, 56 (6), 709-711.

Gavrilovskaya, I. N., Shepley, M., Shaw, R., Ginsberg, M. H., & Mackow, E. R. (1998). beta3 integrins mediate the cellular entry of hantaviruses that cause respiratory failure. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 95 (12), 7074-7079. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.95.12.7074
Harkins, M., Badr, B. A., Whelpley, M. J., & Salas, N. M. (2025). Bunyaviruses: Hantaviruses. In R. A. Kaslow, L. R. Stanberry, & A. M. Powers (Eds.), Viral Infections in Humans. New York: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9544-8_9-1
Heyman, P., Vaheri, A., Lundkvist, A., & Avsic-Zupanc, T. (2009). Hantavirus infections in Europe: From virus carriers to a major public-health problem. Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, 7 (2), 205-217. https://doi.org/10.1586/14787210.7.2.205
Hjelle, B., & Glass, G. E. (2000). Outbreak of hantavirus infection in the Four Corners region of the United States in the wake of the 1997-1998 El Niño-Southern Oscillation. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 181 (5), 1569-1573. https://doi.org/10.1086/315467
Hooper, J. W., Larsen, T., Custer, D. M., & Schmaljohn, C. S. (2001). A lethal disease model for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Virology, 289 (1), 6-14. https://doi.org/10.1006/viro.2001.1133
Huggins, J. W., Hsiang, C. M., Cosgriff, T. M., Guang, M. Y., Smith, J. I., Wu, Z. O., LeDuc, J. W., Zheng, Z. M., Meegan, J. M., Wang, Q. N., Oland, D. D., Gui, X. E., Gibbs, P. H., Yuan, G. H., & Zhang, T. M. (1991). A prospective, randomized, double-blind, concurrent, placebo-controlled clinical trial of intravenous ribavirin therapy of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 164 (6), 1119-1127. https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/164.6.1119
Iowa State University, Center for Food Safety and Public Health. (2025). Hantavirus Disease. https://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Factsheets/pdfs/hantavirus.pdf (Accessed May 27, 2025).
Jenison, S., Hjelle, B., Simpson, S., Hallin, G., Feddersen, R., & Koster, F. (1995). Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome: Clinical, diagnostic, and virologic aspects. Seminars in Respiratory Infections, 10, 259-269.
Jeyachandran, A. V., Irudayam, J. I., Dubey, S., Chakravarty, N., Daskou, M., Zaiss, A., Garcia, G., Konda, B., Shah, A., Venkatraman, A., Su, B., Wang, C., Cui, Q., Williams, K. J., Srikanth, S., Kumar, A., Shi, Y., Deb, A., Damoiseaux, R., Stripp, B. R., Ramaiah, A., & Arumugaswami, V. (2025). Differential tropisms of old and new world hantaviruses influence virulence and developing host-directed antiviral candidates. PLoS Pathogens, 21 (8), e1013401. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013401
Jung, J., Ko, S. J., Oh, H. S., Moon, S. M., Song, J. W., & Huh, K. (2018). Protective effectiveness of inactivated hantavirus vaccine against hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 217 (9), 1417-1420. https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiy037
Lee, J. S. (1991). Clinical features of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Korea. Kidney International. Supplement, 35, 88-93.
López, R., Pérez-Araos, R., Salazar, Á., Espinoza, M., Vial, C., Cuiza, A., Vial, P. A., & Graf, J. (2021). Targeted high volume hemofiltration could avoid extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in some patients with severe Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome. Journal of Medical Virology, 93 (8), 4738-4747. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.26930
Mackow, E. R., & Gavrilovskaya, I. N. (2009). Hantavirus regulation of endothelial cell functions. Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 102 (6), 1030-1041. https://doi.org/10.1160/TH09-09-0640
Macneil, A., Nichol, S. T., & Spiropoulou, C. F. (2011). Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Virus Research, 162 (1-2), 138-147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virusres.2011.09.017
Mustonen, J., Outinen, T., Laine, O., Pörsti, I., Vaheri, A., & Mäkelä, S. (2017). Kidney disease in Puumala hantavirus infection. Infectious Diseases, 49 (5), 321-332. https://doi.org/10.1080/23744235.2016.1274421
Noack, D., Goeijenbier, M., Reusken, C. B. E. M., Koopmans, M. P. G., & Rockx, B. H. G. (2020). Orthohantavirus pathogenesis and cell tropism. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 10, 399. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2020.00399
Pergam, S. A., Schmidt, D. W., Nofchissey, R. A., Hunt, W. C., Harford, A. H., & Goade, D. E. (2009). Potential renal sequelae in survivors of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 80 (2), 279-285.
Schmaljohn, C., & Hjelle, B. (1997). Hantaviruses: A global disease problem. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 3 (2), 95-104. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid0302.970202
Terajima, M., Hayasaka, D., Maeda, K., & Ennis, F. A. (2007). Immunopathogenesis of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome: Do CD8+ T cells trigger capillary leakage in viral hemorrhagic fevers? Immunology Letters, 113 (2), 117-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imlet.2007.08.003
Thorp, L., Fullerton, L., Whitesell, A., & Dehority, W. (2023). Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome: 1993-2018. Pediatrics, 151 (4), e2022059352. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2022-059352
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2026). Health Alert Network (HAN). 2026 Multi-Country Hantavirus Cluster Linked to Cruise Ship. https://www.cdc.gov/han/php/notices/han00528.html (Accessed May 10, 2026).
Vapalahti, O., Mustonen, J., Lundkvist, A., Henttonen, H., Plyusnin, A., & Vaheri, A. (2003). Hantavirus infections in Europe. Lancet Infectious Diseases, 3 (10), 653-661. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(03)00774-6
Vial, P. A., Ferrés, M., Vial, C., Klingström, J., Ahlm, C., López, R., Le Corre, N., & Mertz, G. J. (2023). Hantavirus in humans: A review of clinical aspects and management. Lancet Infectious Diseases, 23 (9), e371-e382. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(23)00128-7
Wagner, R., Leicht-Biener, U., Mucsi, I., & Seitz, K. (2012). Ibuprofen or diclofenac is associated with more severe acute kidney injury in nephropathia epidemica. Scandinavian Journal of Urology and Nephrology, 46 (1), 65-69. https://doi.org/10.3109/00365599.2011.625041
World Health Organization. (2026). Hantavirus Outbreak Linked to Cruise Ship Travel, Multiple Locations. Disease Outbreak News. https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON604 (Accessed 28 May 2026).
Young, J. C., Hansen, G. R., Graves, T. K., Deasy, M. P., Humphreys, J. G., Fritz, C. L., Gorham, K. L., Khan, A. S., Ksiazek, T. G., Metzger, K. B., & Peters, C. J. (2000). The incubation period of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 62 (6), 714-717. https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.2000.62.714

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Microbiology (Other)

Journal Section

Review

Authors

Nurcan Arıkan ^*
0000-0002-0964-940X
Türkiye

Early Pub Date

July 12, 2026

Publication Date

-

Submission Date

July 7, 2026

Acceptance Date

July 12, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: Advanced Online Publication

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA78LW73YB

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Arıkan, N. (2026). Hantaviruses: Could They Be the Cause of a New Pandemic? International Journal of Nature and Life Sciences, Advanced Online Publication, 80-85. https://izlik.org/JA78LW73YB

AMA

1.Arıkan N. Hantaviruses: Could They Be the Cause of a New Pandemic? Int J Nature Life Sci. 2026;(Advanced Online Publication):80-85. https://izlik.org/JA78LW73YB

Chicago

Arıkan, Nurcan. 2026. “Hantaviruses: Could They Be the Cause of a New Pandemic?”. International Journal of Nature and Life Sciences, no. Advanced Online Publication: 80-85. https://izlik.org/JA78LW73YB.

EndNote

Arıkan N (July 1, 2026) Hantaviruses: Could They Be the Cause of a New Pandemic? International Journal of Nature and Life Sciences Advanced Online Publication 80–85.

IEEE

[1]N. Arıkan, “Hantaviruses: Could They Be the Cause of a New Pandemic?”, Int J Nature Life Sci, no. Advanced Online Publication, pp. 80–85, July 2026, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA78LW73YB

ISNAD

Arıkan, Nurcan. “Hantaviruses: Could They Be the Cause of a New Pandemic?”. International Journal of Nature and Life Sciences. Advanced Online Publication (July 1, 2026): 80-85. https://izlik.org/JA78LW73YB.

JAMA

1.Arıkan N. Hantaviruses: Could They Be the Cause of a New Pandemic? Int J Nature Life Sci. 2026;:80–85.

MLA

Arıkan, Nurcan. “Hantaviruses: Could They Be the Cause of a New Pandemic?”. International Journal of Nature and Life Sciences, no. Advanced Online Publication, July 2026, pp. 80-85, https://izlik.org/JA78LW73YB.

Vancouver

1.Nurcan Arıkan. Hantaviruses: Could They Be the Cause of a New Pandemic? Int J Nature Life Sci [Internet]. 2026 Jul. 1;(Advanced Online Publication):80-5. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA78LW73YB