4 weeks ago
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As the quality of a uncommon strain of hantavirus with the imaginable for human-to-human transmission raises planetary wellness concerns, successful Kerala, virologists and clinicians person been contemplating a captious nationalist wellness question: What proportionality of acute febrile unwellness with renal syndrome and thrombocytopenia (lowered platelet count) reported successful the State, presently attributed to suspected leptospirosis, could really beryllium owed to hantavirus?
The Health section is acutely alert of the information that hantavirus (the technological sanction being Orthohantavirus) could beryllium the caller emerging pathogen successful the State, fixed the information that hantavirus seropositivity (presence of antibodies against hantavirus successful humor samples, indicative of infection) has already been reported successful Kerala successful aggregate probe studies and arsenic aboriginal arsenic 2008. The State had besides reported 1 probable lawsuit of hantavirus-induced hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) that mimicked leptospirosis in 2014 but determination was nary confirmatory diagnosis astatine the time.
Kerala has a immense yearly load of leptospirosis cases, with farming, sanitation enactment and monsoon floods driving the spillover of the pathogen from animals to humans. Rodent-borne hantaviruses are besides circulating successful the same agro-ecological zone, meaning that quality vulnerability to these viruses is plausible.
Two major diseases
The hantavirus is chiefly known for causing 2 large quality diseases, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and HFRS, with the second being much communal successful India.
The objective symptoms of some leptospirosis and hantavirus-induced HFRS — precocious people fever with myalgia, lowered platelet count, acute kidney wounded and haemorrhagic manifestations — are truthful akin that these often cannot beryllium distinguished without targeted serology tests.
“Our clinicians are precise good alert that 1 of the differential diagnoses of leptospirosis is hantavirus infection. The mentation is that a bully fig of “leptospirosis-like” illnesses that we see, wherein, patients deteriorate and dice wrong 4 to 5 days could beryllium owed to hantavirus oregon a co-infection of some leptospirosis and hanta. These cases often stay documented arsenic ‘unconfirmed/probable leptospirosis’ for deficiency of timely diagnosis,” says R. Aravind, Head of Infectious Diseases, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram.
Mortality complaint of up to 15%
HFRS due to hantaviruses is simply a superior illness with a reported mortality complaint of up to 15% in southeast Asia but nary human-to-human transmission has been reported.
“Hantavirus mightiness beryllium a caller emerging pathogen for the State, but determination is nary imminent nationalist wellness threat. Unlike before, we person diagnostic facilities present astatine the Institute of Advanced Virology (IAV) and HFRS cases that are leptospirosis-negative are being routinely tested for hantavirus,” Dr. Aravind says.
In 1 of the latest studies published successful December 2025 by Chandy et al, serum samples from 216 febrile patients, presented at Lisie Hospital, Kochi were tested for anti-orthohantavirus IgM and IgG antibodies. In total, 16.2% of the samples were affirmative for anti-orthohantavirus IgM and 11.57% for IgG antibodies, portion both IgM and IgG were detected successful 4.63% of the samples, indicating imaginable microorganism exposure.
Better entree to tests now
Till now, entree to some serology tests like IgM Elisa arsenic good arsenic molecular diagnostic tests like PCR for hantavirus has been constricted successful Kerala arsenic good arsenic crossed the country. (Serology tests person limitations arsenic detectable levels of antibodies whitethorn not amusement up successful the tests successful the acute signifier of the disease. There are besides risks of hantavirus cross-reacting with different viruses, resulting successful mendacious negatives).
The IAV has present filled this diagnostic void by acquiring the PCR testing installation for confirmatory diagnosis of hantavirus infections.
“We person ne'er done progressive surveillance for hantavirus contempt serological grounds of the circulation of the virus. We are present routinely doing PCR testing of objective samples from Thiruvananthapuram MCH for hanta, but truthful acold determination person been nary affirmative cases,” says E. Sreekumar, Director of IAV. The IAV has besides initiated immoderate basal biologic studies connected the virus.
