Arenavirus and Hantavirus infections:: disease, host response, and vaccination

The maintenance of arenaviruses and hantaviruses in rodents is characterized by an association between each virus and a single rodent reservoir, and by a chronic or prolonged infection in the host. The strong evidence for immunopathogenesis of some model of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus in mice is not reflected in the arenavirus hemorrhagic fevers. On the contrary. human diseases caused by hantaviruses appear to be immunopathologic, and inflammatory mediators are important in causing the clinical manifestations. The vaccine development is hampered by several factors: poor understanding of the immunology of the diseases, multiple distinct antigenic types, and for hantaviruses, lack of realistic animal models.