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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffEach type of hantavirus has a preferred rodent carrier. The deer mouse is the primary carrier of the Sin Nombre virus, which is responsible for most cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in North America. Other hantavirus carriers include the white-tailed mouse, cotton rat and rice rat.
Inhalation: The main route of transmission
Hantaviruses are transmitted to people primarily through the "aerosolization" of viruses shed in infected rodents' droppings, urine or saliva. Aerosolization occurs when a virus is kicked up into the air, making it easy for you to inhale. For example, a broom used to clean up mouse droppings in an attic may nudge into the air tiny particles of feces containing hantaviruses, which you can then easily inhale.
After you inhale hantaviruses, they reach your lungs and begin to invade tiny blood vessels called capillaries, eventually causing them to leak. Your lungs then flood with fluid, which can trigger any of the respiratory problems associated with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
Other routes of transmission
Although rare, there are other methods of hantavirus transmission. You can become infected after receiving a rodent bite or after eating food containing rodent excrement. Person to person transmission of this disease is rare.
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- Steckelberg JM (expert opinion). Mayo
