Hantavirus: An emerging global threat

Abstract

Hantaviruses (HVs) are globally emerging pathogens that can cause varied disease syndromes worldwide. HV infections spread to humans from their natural reservoirs, rodents. HV infection can cause severe diseases such as HV pulmonary syndrome or “HV cardiopulmonary syndrome” and “hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome” in humans through contact with infected rodents urine, feces, saliva, and blood droppings. There has been significant improvement in the understanding of the epidemiology, pathological process, and environmental history of HV infectious after an increase in the number of outbursts in the United States of America and Pan- American countries. Many cases have been reported in India also since 1964. The main objective of this paper is to present an overview of the HV infection, which can be an emerging global threat.