ABSTRACT
Hantaviruses are a group of viruses in the family Bunyaviridae, which are singlestranded RNA viruses and spherical in shape (Figure 23.1). All hantaviruses belong to the genus Hantavirus (one of ve genera in the Bunyaviridae family). The Hantavirus genus includes more than 40 known species and probably many more that are not yet described. These viruses are grouped into four serotypes. Hantaviruses are the causative agents for two diseases in humans: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), which is found in the Americas, and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), which occurs primarily in Eurasia (Heyman et al. 2012).
