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

Noun Inflected Forms

• hantaviruses
  plural

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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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hantavirus hantaviruses

When a cruise ship passenger contracted the rare hantavirus in May, accounts also immediately touted ivermectin as a "cure" even while there is no known treatment.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

That’s very different from our recent experience with hantavirus, which can take 42 days for symptoms to show, necessitating long periods of quarantine for people who were exposed.

From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026

Director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the final contact of a person exposed to hantavirus on the MV Hondius had completed their quarantine period, tested negative and returned home.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

Different hantavirus strains can cause different forms of illness.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 22, 2026

Officials are investigating a potential case of hantavirus, a rare but deadly disease that attacks the lungs, in an inmate at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in Marin County.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

In Europe and Asia, hantaviruses are more commonly associated with hemorrhagic fever and kidney dysfunction.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 22, 2026

While most hantaviruses do not pass from person to person, rare instances of human transmission have been documented with the Andes virus strain, which is the strain behind this outbreak.

From BBC ● May 18, 2026

The company said last week it had conducted preclinical research on hantaviruses and is reportedly working on treatments.

From Barron's ● May 14, 2026

Even before this outbreak started, Moderna did some research on hantaviruses in collaboration with the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026

Old World hantaviruses, which are endemic to Africa, Asia and Europe, can cause hemorrhagic fever with kidney disease.

From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026

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