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

Strains of hantavirus can result in hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, characterized by fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, rapid progression to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock, like in individuals on the MV Hondius cruise ship, according to the World Health Organization. —Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026

When someone contracts a hantavirus infection, the symptoms don’t show up for anywhere from one week and two months. —Elizabeth Yuko, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2026

World Health Organization officials have assured that the hantavirus outbreak is not the start of a pandemic. —Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 8 May 2026

Arakawa, 65, who was also his caretaker, died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a disease that affects the lungs. —Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026

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