ABSTRACT
Classication. Sin Nombre virus (SNV) is a member of the Hantavirus genus (Family Bunyaviridae). The Bunyaviridae family comprises a large and diverse group of RNA viruses. The family was established in 1975 and is currently composed of ve genera, Orthobunyavirus, Nairovirus, Phlebovirus, and Hantavirus, all of which contain viruses of medical importance to humans, and Tospovirus, which consists exclusively of plant pathogens [1]. The Hantavirus genus was conceived in 1983 and currently, the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) recognizes more than 20 unique species within the Hantavirus genus. Approximately half of these species are associated with human diseases such as hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS; also called hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome). Each hantavirus species is associated with a rodent reservoir and coevolution with the rodent host has probably occurred for thousands and perhaps millions of years.
