Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is a serious, often deadly. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome was identified among residents of the southwestern United States. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is caused by the Sin Nombre virus. This virus is a type of hantavirus. Most hantaviruses attack the kidneys, but the Sin Nombre virus attacks the lungs. It infects the walls of the capillaries, making them leak and flooding the lungs with fluid. When Humans contract the infection by inhaling airborne mice excreta, by contact with rodent saliva during a bite, by direct contact of rodent excreta with broken skin, and possibly through contaminated food or water. Unlike viruses in the other genera of the family Bunyaviridae that are transmitted to humans by the arthropod vector, Hantaviruses have a rodent host. Each Hantavirus is adapted to a single host rodent species. Spillover of a Hantavirus to another rodent host may occur in endemic areas; however, adaptation and long-term propagation of the Hantavirus in the new host does not occur. The infected animals do not themselves become ill. The infection is not thought to be transmissible from one person to another. The deer mouse is the primary carrier of the virus that causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. This type of rodent is found throughout the United States, except in the Southeast and East Coast. In the Southeast, the cotton rat is known to carry hantavirus. A deer mouse is 4-9 inches long from head to tip of tail. It is pale gray to reddish brown and has white fur on its belly, feet, and underside of the tail. It has oversized ears and A mouse nest is usually a pile of material under which the mouse lives. This pile can contain many different materials, such as twigs, insulation, styrofoam, and grass.
Hantavirus is not spread from person to person. You cannot become infected by being near a person who has hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. The virus, which is able to survive in the environment can be killed by most household disinfectants, such as bleach or alcohol. Hantavirus infections are associated with domestic, occupational, or recreational activities that bring humans into contact with infected rodents, usually in rural settings. Known hantavirus infections of humans occur primarily in adults. Occasional evidence of infection is found in numerous other species of rodents and their predators indicating that many mammal species coming into contact with an infected host might become infected. Domestic animals might bring infected rodents into contact with humans. Arthropod vectors are not known to have a role in the transmission of hantaviruses. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome occurs primarily in the fall, when small rodents inhabit human dwellings to protect themselves from the cold weather. In the wild, many small rodents also transmit the virus. Inhalation of infected aerosolized rodent urine or dried excreta can lead to infection with HPS. Human-to-human transmission of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome has not been reported in the United States, nor have nosocomial infections been reported. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is a zoonosis and parallels the distribution of the associated rodent vectors. The climactic conditions of El Niño promote the transmission of the causative virus.
Causes of Hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome
Common causes of Hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome
- Mouse droppings.
- Breathing in tiny airborne particles formed when rodents urinate.
- Saliva.
- Dust particles contaminated with the virus.
- Feces.
- Rodent urine.
- Breast-feeding.
Symptoms of Hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome
Common symptoms of Hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome
- Fever.
- Sore muscles.
- Headaches.
- Nausea.
- Vomiting.
- Stomach.
- Shortness of breath.
- Fluid builds up in the lungs.
- Abdominal.
Treatment of Hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome
Common Treatment of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome
- Treatment is mainly supportive, including using assisted mechanical breathing and maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance and blood pressure.
- some experimental use of the anti-virus drug, ribavirin, mechanical ventilation is the main treatment. Most patients need to be hospitalized in intensive care. The sooner an infected person gets medical treatment, the better the chance of recovery.
- Use extreme caution when cleaning rodent-infested areas.
- Using a mechanical ventilator to help you breathe. This includes monitoring the amount of oxygen in your blood and adjusting the treatment as needed to maintain the proper amount of oxygen in the blood.
- Monitoring the pressure and blood flow in the heart and lungs by placing a thin tube inside your heart and lungs.
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