Hantavirus questions
Hey guys! I'm working on a little project about the recent hantavirus outbreak and have a few questions. Please keep in mind I am an undergraduate student studying biochemistry, so I know some background knowledge but nowhere near everything! Let me know any knowledge, recommendations, or corrections you have--thanks so much!
- Why is transmission form person to person so rare in hantavirus?
What is it about hantavirus—specifically the Andes strain—that requires prolonged exposure or close contact to spread? I found an article discussing how the Andes virus has been identified within the salivary gland, which explains why the virus requires very close contact with an infected person's saliva (through kissing or sexual contact) for transmission. Studies have also shown that the Andes virus replicates in the alveoli of the lungs, indicating that it can also be spread through airborne respiratory droplets from person to person. However, many viruses have reservoirs located in the salivary glands, including SARS-CoV-2, and spread via respiratory droplets, including SARS-CoV-2 and influenza—what is different about hantavirus?
- Do you believe that the virus has mutated into a more transmissible form, given a historical lack of human to human transmission?
Would PCR tests—as given to the passengers on board the cruise—reveal such a mutation? Also, I cannot find anywhere which strain of Andes virus was identified through PCR. Do you know of which strain it might be?
- Can one spread hantavirus before the onset of one's own symptoms?
Studies have shown that it is most contagious during the prodromal phase—the earliest onset of symptoms.
- How can we be certain that there was no rat aboard which transmitted the virus to all those infected? Or that one of the cruise's many stops did not put the passengers in close contact with a rat carrying hantavirus?
The cruise itinerary details launch from the tip of Argentina and several stops in the South Atlantic—could any of these places possess rats carrying the virus?