Hantaviruses are found in the saliva, urine, and droppings of infected rodents, which show no signs of illness.
In the United States, at least four hantaviruses are known to cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Each hantavirus is carried by a specific rodent:
Other rodents may carry hantaviruses, but they have not been identified. Also, other related viruses cause a spectrum of diseases called hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). Many of the first symptoms of HFRS resemble hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. But the later symptoms of HFRS may include high fever, kidney failure, and bleeding disorders.
|Primary Medical Reviewer||E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine|
|Specialist Medical Reviewer||Robert L. Cowie, MB, FCP(SA), MD, MSc, MFOM - Pulmonology|
|Last Revised||February 22, 2012|
Last Revised: February 22, 2012
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