any one of a group of viruses that are transmitted to humans by rodents and cause disease of varying severity, ranging from a mild form of influenza to respiratory or kidney failure
Word origin
C20: from Hanta(an), river in North and South Korea where the disease was first reported + virus
hantavirus in American English
(ˈhæntəˌvaɪrəs)
noun
any of a group of RNA viruses; esp., one spread by contact with rodent urine and feces, that can cause flulike symptoms and sometimes a fatal lung or kidney disease
Word origin
after Hantaan River in S. Korea, where the disease was first identified
Examples of 'hantavirus' in a sentence
hantavirus
Six people have been diagnosed with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.