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

The working hypothesis behind the cluster is that the first case acquired hantavirus while on land, before boarding the cruise ship, the WHO said. — Youri Benadjaoud, ABC News, 22 June 2026

The last eight American passengers who endured 42 days in a specialized hospital quarantine unit after exposure to an unusual hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship that killed three people have left the Nebraska facility. — Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026

After six weeks in quarantine, the Americans evacuated from a cruise ship struck by a deadly hantavirus outbreak are set to return to their regular lives starting Sunday afternoon. — Aria Bendix, NBC news, 21 June 2026

The passenger, Angela Perryman, 47, was one of 18 Americans quarantined in the U.S. after Andes hantavirus cases were found aboard a cruise ship earlier this year. — Sneha S K, USA Today, 17 June 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