hantavirus

American  

[hahn-tuh-vahy-ruhs, han‑] / ˈhɑn təˌvaɪ rəs, ˈhæn‑ /

noun

hantaviruses plural

1. any of several viruses of the family Bunyaviridae, spread chiefly by wild rodents, that cause acute respiratory illness, kidney failure, and other syndromes.

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hantavirus British  

/ ˈhæntəˌvaɪrəs /

noun

1. any one of a group of viruses that are transmitted to humans by rodents and cause disease of varying severity, ranging from a mild form of influenza to respiratory or kidney failure

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hantavirus Scientific  

/ hăn′tə-vī′rəs /

1. Any of a group of viruses of the genus Hantavirus, carried by rodents, that cause severe respiratory infections in humans and, in some cases, hemorrhaging, kidney disease, and death.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• hantaviruses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hantavirus

First recorded in 1975–80; after the Hantaan River in Korea, near which the virus first afflicted Westerners in the 1950s

Example Sentences

That’s why ICE’s reputation, never particularly positive around here, is now somewhere between hantavirus and rush hour on the Sepulveda Pass.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026

The World Health Organization recommended a 42-day quarantine for high-risk exposure to the Andes strain of hantavirus.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

What Ebola and hantavirus are revealing about America’s public health system.

From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026

At least for now, the hantavirus situation seem to be contained.

From Salon • May 20, 2026

Scientists attempting to determine whether or not hantavirus is present in Argentina's Ushuaia on Monday laid the very first traps to catch rodents potentially carrying the disease, AFP journalists observed.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026