Description This virus can infe...
Description
This virus can infect the lungs causing a rare, life threatening illness. Effective treatment is not yet available and over 50% of cases are fatal. Hantavirus is found worldwide and is spread by human contact with rodent waste. The most common animal involved is the deer mouse. This infection cannot be spread from human to human.
Symptoms
Cough, fever, fatigue, weakness, chills, muscle pain, headache, shortness of breath, death.
Tests
Common tests used for diagnosis and treatment
Workup:
A history and physical exam will be performed. The first steps are usually to rule out other, more common causes of lung disease. However, if hantavirus infection is suspected, blood tests for kidney function, blood counts, and oxygen level, and a chest x-ray may be recommended.
Tests:
Complete blood count (CBC), Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), CT Scan, Electrocardiogram (EKG), X-ray
Other Specific Tests: Sputum culture, blood culture
Specialists:
Infectious Disease Medicine, Pediatric Infectious Disease Medicine
Workup:
A history and physical exam will be performed. The first steps are usually to rule out other, more common causes of lung disease. However, if hantavirus infection is suspected, blood tests for kidney function, blood counts, and oxygen level, and a chest x-ray may be recommended.
Tests:
Complete blood count (CBC), Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), CT Scan, Electrocardiogram (EKG), X-ray
Other Specific Tests: Sputum culture, blood culture
Specialists:
Infectious Disease Medicine, Pediatric Infectious Disease Medicine
Treatment
Therapy depends on the extent of disease and may include: intravenous fluid, oxygen, mechanical ventilation, and ICU admission. Antibiotics are not effective against the hantavirus; however, an antiviral drug called ribavirin, may be effective against certain strains of the virus that are associated with heart, lung and kidney disease.