Hantavirus vaccine is a vaccine that protects in humans against hantavirus infections causing hantavirus hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) or hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). The vaccine is considered important as acute hantavirus infections are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is estimated that about 1.5 million cases and 46,000 deaths occurred in China from 1950 to 2007. The number of cases is estimated at 32,000 in Finland from 2005 to 2010 and 90,000 in Russia from 1996 to 2006. [1]
The first hantavirus vaccine was developed in 1990 initially for use against Hantaan River virus which causes one of the most severe forms of HFRS. [2] It is estimated that about two million doses of rodent brain or cell-culture derived vaccine are given in China every year. The wide use of this vaccine may be partly responsible for a significant decrease in the number of HFRS cases in China to less than 20,000 by 2007. [1]
Other hantaviruses for which the vaccine is used include Seoul (SEOV) virus. However the vaccine is thought not to be effective against European hantaviruses including Puumala (PUUV) and Dobrava-Belgrade (DOBV) viruses. The pharmaceutical trade name for the vaccine is Hantavax. [2] [3] As of 2019 no hantavirus vaccine have been approved for use in Europe or USA. [1] A phase 2 study on a human HTNV/PUUV DNA hantavirus vaccine is ongoing. [4]
In addition to Hantavax three more vaccine candidates have been studied in I–II stage clinical trials. They include a recombinant vaccine and vaccines derived from HTNV and PUUV viruses. However, their prospects are unclear [1]
Orthohantavirus is a genus of single-stranded, enveloped, negative-sense RNA viruses in the family Hantaviridae within the order Bunyavirales. Members of this genus may be called orthohantaviruses or simply hantaviruses.
Bunyavirales is an order of segmented negative-strand RNA viruses with mainly tripartite genomes. Member viruses infect arthropods, plants, protozoans, and vertebrates. It is the only order in the class Ellioviricetes. The name Bunyavirales derives from Bunyamwera, where the original type species Bunyamwera orthobunyavirus was first discovered. Ellioviricetes is named in honor of late virologist Richard M. Elliott for his early work on bunyaviruses.
Seoul orthohantavirus (SEOV) is a member of the genus Orthohantavirus of rodent-borne viruses, and is one of the four hantaviruses that are known to cause Hantavirus hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). It is an Old World hantavirus; a negative sense, single-stranded, tri-segmented RNA virus.
Puumala orthohantavirus (PUUV) is a species of Orthohantavirus. Humans infected with the virus may develop a haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) known as nephropathia epidemica. Puumala orthohantavirus HFRS is lethal in less than 0.5% of the cases. Rarely, PUUV infection can cause Guillain–Barré syndrome.
Amur virus (AMRV) is a zoonotic negative-sense single-stranded RNA virus. It may be a member of the genus Orthohantavirus, but it has not be definitively classified as a species and may only be a strain. It has been identified as a causative agent of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome.
Sangassou orthohantavirus(SANGV) is single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus species of the genus Orthohantavirus in the Bunyavirales order. It was first isolated in an African wood mouse (Hylomyscus simus) in the forest in Guinea, West Africa in 2010. It is named for the village near where the mouse was trapped. It is the first indigenous Murinae-associated African hantavirus to be discovered.
Hantavirus hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is a group of clinically similar illnesses caused by species of hantaviruses. It is also known as Korean hemorrhagic fever and epidemic hemorrhagic fever. It is found in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The species that cause HFRS include Hantaan orthohantavirus, Dobrava-Belgrade orthohantavirus, Saaremaa virus, Seoul orthohantavirus, Puumala orthohantavirus and other orthohantaviruses. Of these species, Hantaan River virus and Dobrava-Belgrade virus cause the most severe form of the syndrome and have the highest morbidity rates. When caused by the Puumala virus, it is also called nephropathia epidemica. This infection is known as sorkfeber in Swedish, myyräkuume in Finnish, and musepest in Norwegian.
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is one of two potentially fatal syndromes of zoonotic origin caused by species of hantavirus. These include Black Creek Canal virus (BCCV), New York orthohantavirus (NYV), Monongahela virus (MGLV), Sin Nombre orthohantavirus (SNV), and certain other members of hantavirus genera that are native to the United States and Canada.
Dobrava-Belgrade orthohantavirus (DOBV), also known as Dobrava virus, is an enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus species of Old World Orthohantavirus. It is one of several species of Hantavirus that is the causative agent of severe Hantavirus hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. It was first isolated in 1985 from a yellow-necked mouse found in the village of Dobrava, southeastern Slovenia. It was subsequently isolated in striped field mice in Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe. It has also been found in Germany but the reservoir host there is unknown.
Soochong virus (SOOV) is a zoonotic negative sense single-stranded RNA virus. It may be a member of the genus Orthohantavirus, but it has not be definitively classified as a species and may only be a strain. It is one of four rodent-borne Hantaviruses found in the Republic of Korea. It is the etiologic agent for Hantavirus hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). The other species responsible for HFRS in Korea are Seoul virus, Haantan virus, and Muju virus.
Muju virus(MUV) is a zoonotic negative-sense single-stranded RNA virus of the genus Orthohantavirus. It is a member virus of Puumala orthohantavirus. It is one of four rodent-borne Hantaviruses found in the Republic of Korea. It is the etiologic agent for Hantavirus hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). The other species responsible for HFRS in Korea are Seoul orthohantavirus, Hantaan orthohantavirus, and Soochong virus.
Prospect Hill orthohantavirus is a single-stranded, negative-sense Hantaan-like zoonotic RNA virus isolated from meadow voles and microtine and other cricetid rodents in the United States. It has a widespread distribution in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Minnesota and California. The overall risk of infection in humans is low. It was first isolated from a meadow vole found in Prospect Hill, Maryland for which it is named.
Hantaan orthohantavirus (HTNV) is an enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus species of Old World Orthohantavirus. It is the causative agent of Korean hemorrhagic fever in humans. It is named for the Hantan River in South Korea, and in turn lends the name to its genus Orthohantavirus and family Hantaviridae.
Topografov virus is an enveloped, negative-sense RNA virus of the genus Orthohantavirus in the Bunyavirales order. It is the first hantavirus to be isolated from Siberian lemmings found near the Topografov River in the Taymyr Peninsula, Siberia.
Choclo orthohantavirus (CHOV) is a single-stranded, negative-sense RNA zoonotic New World hantavirus. It was first isolated in 1999 in western Panama. The finding marked the first time Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) was found in Central America.
Nova virus is a single-stranded, negative-sense, enveloped RNA virus with a trisegmented genome. It belongs to one of the most divergent lineages of the hantavirus group, which consists of zoonotic viruses belonging to the family Bunyaviridae. As of now, no human cases of infection have been reported.
Rockport virus (RKPV) is a single-stranded, enveloped, negative-sense RNA orthohantavirus.
Thailand virus (THAIV) is a single-stranded, enveloped, negative-sense RNA orthohantavirus.
Gou virus (GOUV) is a single-stranded, negative-sense, enveloped novel RNA orthohantavirus. It is one of the known hantaviruses responsible for hantavirus hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in humans.
Ho Wang Lee was a South Korean physician, epidemiologist, and virologist. He was the first person in the history of medicine to be the one chiefly responsible for all 3 of the following steps: (1) discovery of the virus causing a human disease, (2) development of a method of diagnosis for the disease, and (3) development of a vaccine against the disease.