At a glance
- Reservoir
- Long-tailed pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus)
- Geography
- Argentina, Chile, and parts of Patagonia
- Disease
- Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS)
- Case fatality
- Approximately 30–40%
- Distinguishing feature
- The only hantavirus with confirmed human-to-human transmission
- First identified
- 1995, following an outbreak in El Bolsón, Argentina
Why person-to-person spread matters
The 1996 outbreak in southern Argentina is the canonical example: investigators traced cases among physicians and family members who had no rodent exposure. Genetic sequencing confirmed identical viral strains across linked cases. Subsequent outbreaks in Chile have reinforced the pattern.
The mechanism is thought to be respiratory droplets and close contact during the early symptomatic phase. The implication for clinicians is significant: suspected Andes virus cases require contact and droplet precautions in addition to the standard rodent exposure history.
Clinical course
Andes virus produces classic HPS with a febrile prodrome followed by rapid pulmonary edema and shock. Renal involvement is more common than with North American strains. Care is supportive; ECMO has been used successfully in referral centers in Santiago and Buenos Aires.