Virus
Hantavirus
Bunyavirus, deer mouse, pulmonary syndrome
HAN-tuh-VY-rus
High-yield clue
Rodent-associated bunyavirus inhaled from aerosolized excreta; New World strains (e.g., deer mouse Sin Nombre) classically cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
Overview
A negative-sense single-stranded RNA virus (genus Orthohantavirus, family Hantaviridae, order Bunyavirales) with a segmented genome, studied as a rodent-borne agent of pulmonary and renal syndromes.
Classification
- Hantaviridae
- Order Bunyavirales
- Genus Orthohantavirus
- Negative-sense ssRNA
- Tri-segmented, enveloped
Lab & identification clues
- Segmented negative-sense bunyavirus genome vocabulary
- Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) framing
- Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) framing
Associations
- Rodent reservoirs, each virus with its own host (deer mouse for Sin Nombre)
- Inhalation of aerosolized rodent excreta transmission
- Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome vocabulary (New World)
- Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome vocabulary (Old World)
Commonly confused with
- Lassa virus
- Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus
Your notes
Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.