hantavirus

noun

han·​ta·​vi·​rus ˈhän-tə-ˌvī-rəs  ˈhən-  ˈhan- 

: any of a family (Hantaviridae and especially genus Orthohantavirus) of bunyaviruses transmitted especially by rodent feces and urine and including viruses causing serious pulmonary disease or hemorrhagic fevers marked by renal necrosis

Examples of hantavirus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Betsy died due to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is transmitted from animals to humans and is commonly found in rodents, the New Mexico Department of Health confirmed. —Tracy Wright , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 2 May 2025

The report, released two days after the final report for her husband, confirmed her death from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare but often fatal disease contracted via infected rodent droppings. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2025

Hackman, who died at age 95 of natural causes, tested negative for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, Fox News and The Associated Press report. —Edward Segarra, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025

Arakawa, who died due to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, had fluid accumulation in her chest and mild hardening of the vessels that supplied blood to the heart and body, according to an autopsy obtained by The Associated Press. —Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from hanta- (from Hantaan, river in South Korea near where rodents carrying the virus were collected 1974–78) + virus

First Known Use

1984, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hantavirus

• antivirus
• herpesvirus
• parvovirus
• reovirus
• retrovirus
• rhinovirus
• rotavirus
• adenovirus
• baculovirus
• coronavirus
• enterovirus
• poliovirus

Medical Definition

hantavirus

noun

han·​ta·​vi·​rus ˈhan-tə-ˌvī-rəs  ˈhən-  ˈhän- 

: any of a family (Hantaviridae and especially genus Orthohantavirus) of bunyaviruses that infect specific rodents as their natural hosts and that include some forms causing hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in humans following exposure to the virus in airborne particles of rodent urine, feces, or saliva or directly by the bite of a rodent