This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
‘New World’ hantaviruses endemic to US
There have been 624 reported cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in 34 states in the United States since surveillance began in 1993, according to a report in Emerging Infectious Diseases.
CDC researchers conducted a review of literature and data from the hantavirus surveillance registry to evaluate the incidence of human hantavirus infections in the United States since the disease was discovered after an outbreak of severe respiratory illness affected the Four Corners region of the Southwest in 1993.
Ninety-six percent of cases occurred in states to the west of the Mississippi River. Most were caused by the Sin Nombre virus, which originated in the deer mouse. The 624 cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome include 31 cases that occurred before 1993 that were diagnosed retrospectively.
All but 12 cases were caused by the Sin Nombre virus. Among the 12 other cases, five infections were caused by the Bayou virus; one was caused by the Black Creek Canal virus; four were caused by the Monongahela virus; and two were caused by the New York virus. Collectively, these hantaviruses are known as New World hantaviruses. They are endemic in North America and humans are infected after contact with infected rodents.
The CDC also has identified 10 cases of hantavirus infection among patients who did not have the clinical symptoms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. They were not included in these counts.
“As long as pulmonary symptoms are a required element for reporting of hantavirus cases to CDC, these milder cases of hantavirus infection will continue to go uncounted,” the researchers wrote. “This presents a missed opportunity in understanding the full spectrum of hantavirus disease, and reduced awareness of where and how persons are exposed to hantaviruses.”
CDC officials propose that all laboratory-confirmed hantavirus infections, regardless of pulmonary symptoms, be reportable to health authorities.
The surveillance data also indicate that Old World hantaviruses, including the Seoul virus, have been identified in the United States, with the first confirmed case in Baltimore. The clinical presentation was acute hemorrhagic fever and renal syndrome. Another case was imported by a person who traveled to China. In addition, another infection resulting from the Puumala virus was imported by a visitor from Germany.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.