Hantavirus Infections
Journal: REVISTA MVZ CÓRDOBA (Vol.22, No. 4)Publication Date: 2017-05-03
Authors : Camilo Guzmán T Alfonso Calderón R Marco González T Salim Mattar V;
Page : 6101-6117
Keywords : Arenavirus; bunyaviridae; reservoirs; rodentia; public health;
Abstract
Hantaviruses are the causative agents of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in humans in the Americas; The primary reservoirs are in the rodents of the subfamily Sigmodontinae. In South America, cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome caused by numerous viral genotypes have been diagnosed. In Colombia, different serological studies have reported the circulation of hantavirus in humans and rodents. These viruses act in an intimate association with a rodent species that serves as a reservoir and have a distribution around the wild rodent, being limited to a specific geographic region. In South America, the first HPS-associated hantavirus was described in 1993 in Brazil and was called Juquitiva and from 1993 to 2012, more than 1400 cases had been identified in Brazil. This syndrome should be suspected in all patients with respiratory distress syndrome of unclear etiology, in areas endemic for the disease, especially if accompanied by fever, marked leukocytosis and thrombocytopenia and bilateral interstitial infiltrates. Hemorrhagic febrile syndrome has not yet been described in the Americas. There are no clinical or laboratory signs that are pathognomonic of hantavirus infection. The treatment is based on adequate hydration, use of antipyretics and anti-inflammatories and patients with signs of severity should establish a more aggressive management. Triage is indispensable, patients with co-morbidities have a higher mortality risk and therefore should be hospitalized. Future research in Colombia should be directed to multidisciplinary studies that include viral isolation, different clinical forms of case presentation, epidemiological differences, risk factors, and taxonomy of viruses and rodents.
Other Latest Articles
- Arenavirus Infections
- Visceral Leishmaniasis in Latin America and therapy perspectives
- Pharmacokinetics and adverse effects of doxycycline in the treatment of Ehrlichiosis: theoretical foundations for clinical trials in canines
- Effect of the use of fluazuron for control of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus in cattle
- Phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) collected in rural area from San Bernardo del Viento (Córdoba, Colombia)
Last modified: 2017-11-23 23:30:49