Ho Wang Lee

Geographical distribution of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and hantaviruses

World-wide, about 150,000 people are hospitalized with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) (3–10% fatality) each year. The etiologic agents of HFRS are Hantaan, Seoul, and Puumala viruses of the genus Hantavirus, family Bunyaviridae. A severe form of HFRS, caused by Hantaan virus, occurs in Asia and eastern parts of Europe, a moderate form, caused by Seoul virus, occurs in Asia, and a mild form, caused by Puumala virus, occurs in Europe. Hantaan virus occurs in Asia and in eastern parts of Europe, Seoul-like viruses occur world-wide, Puumala virus occurs in Europe, and Prospect Hill and Leaky viruses (other hantaviruses) have been isolated in the U.S.A. The reservoirs of hantaviruses are rodents and other small mammals. Serologic studies of 42 hantaviruses isolated from HFRS patients and from animals indicated that there are 6 or 7 serotypes. In the 1990s, it is highly possible to identify HFRS and HFRS-like illnesses caused by hantaviruses in parts of the world where HFRS is not known because of the availability of serodiagnostic tests.

Conservation of Antigenic Properties and Sequences Encoding the Envelope Proteins of Prototype Hantaan Virus and Two Virus Isolates from Korean Haemorrhagic Fever Patients

Viruses isolated from the blood of two Korean haemorrhagic fever patients were propagated in cell culture and compared to prototype Hantaan virus which was isolated from Apodemus mice. The antigenic properties of the human isolates were found to be closely related to Hantaan virus by plaque reduction neutralization, haemagglutination inhibition and fluorescent antibody staining with both polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies. The medium genome segment of each human isolate was sequenced and compared to that of Hantaan virus. Nucleotides comprising the Hantaan virus G1 and G2 envelope protein-coding regions differed from those of the other viruses by only 5.4% and 5.7%. The human isolates differed from one another by 1.6%. The nucleotide differences resulted in predicted amino acid variations of 1.3% to 2.3% among the three viruses, with the majority occurring as conservative substitutions in G1.

Identification of Hantaan virus-related structures in kidneys of cadavers with haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome

SummaryThe etiologic agent of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), Hantaan virus, was first isolated in 1976. Since then numerous Hantaan-like viruses have been isolated and five serotypes of Hantavirus have been recognized. Serological studies indicate that these viruses are globally distributed, with each serotype occurring in specific areas. Hantaan virus has been intensively studied antigenically, biochemically, and genetically. However there is still a paucity of information on the pathogenesis of Hantaan virus in the human host.In this paper, we report the detection by thin section immune electron microscopy of the occurrence of numerous dense precipitates, typical inclusion bodies, a surface antigen layer, as well as Hantaan virion-like structures in the kidneys of patients that died during the acute phase of HFRS. These findings may shed some light on understanding the pathogenesis of HFRS in target organs most affected by the disease, such as the kidneys.

Detection of hantaviruses with RNA probes generated from recombinant DNA.

SummaryRadiolabeled RNA probes generated from cDNA clones of the M and S genome segments of Hantaan virus readily detected Hantaan virus and two isolates from Korean hemorrhagic fever patients but were less effective in detecting four other hantaviruses.

Discovery of hantaviruses and of the Hantavirus genus: Personal and historical perspectives of the Presidents of the International Society of Hantaviruses

We three authors, the two past presidents (HWL and AV) and the current president (CSS) of the International Society for Hantaviruses (ISH) have attended most of the nine International Conferences on HFRS, HPS and Hantaviruses (Table 1). These conferences have provided a forum for a synergistic group of clinicians, basic researchers, mammalogists, epidemiologists and ecologists to share their expertise and interests in all aspects of hantavirus research. Much of what is now hantavirus dogma was only conjecture when HWL organized the first conference in Seoul, Korea in 1989. Herein, we provide our reflections on key events in hantavirus research. As we come from distinct areas of the world and have had individual historical experiences, we certainly have our own geocentric opinions about the key events. Nevertheless, we agree that the discovery of hantaviruses has taken an interesting and unpredictable track to where we are today.