Sin Nombre Virus and the Emergence of Other Hantaviruses: A Review of the Biology, Ecology, and Disease of a Zoonotic Pathogen

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In this review, we provide updates on Sin Nombre virus (SNV) and other New World hantaviruses. We discuss the history of SNV, its biology and relatedness to other emerging New World hantaviruses, its ecology, and its disease in humans. This review highlights an important emerging virus pathogen from North America. ABSTRACT: Sin Nombre virus (SNV) is an emerging virus that was first discovered in the Four Corners region of the United States in 1993. The virus causes a disease known as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), sometimes called Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome (HCPS), a life-threatening illness named for the predominance of infection of pulmonary endothelial cells. SNV is one of several rodent-borne hantaviruses found in the western hemisphere with the capability of causing this disease. The primary reservoir of SNV is the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), and the virus is transmitted primarily through aerosolized rodent excreta and secreta. Here, we review the history of SNV emergence and its virus biology and relationship to other New World hantaviruses, disease, treatment, and prevention options.