Tula virus infection in Germany: How dangerous is the virus variant?
According to several studies, the disease is based on an infection with the Tula hantavirus, which was similar to the virus variant of field mice in the analysis. In total, at least four human pathogenic hantaviruses have been analyzed in mice and other rodents in Germany.
What is the hantavirus?
The hantavirus originated in the Korean river Hantan-gang. During the Korean War, over a thousand soldiers suffered from a severe fever . As a result, the responsible virus was identified and named after the river.
The different hantavirus variants can usually be assigned to specific rodents and their habitat. According to the Robert Koch Institute, the variants PUUV (bank vole), DOBV (band vole) and the Tula virus (field mouse) are predominant in Germany.
Shrews, moles and bats have also been recorded as carriers.
The seroprevalence (detection of specific antibodies) of hantaviruses in Germany is 1 percent. However, the number of cases varies from year to year.
How is the Tula hantavirus transmitted?
Rodents’ saliva, urine and feces are the focus of Hantavirus infection. The viruses can also trigger an infection for several days and when dried.
Humans inhale the virus when virus-containing aerosols enter the lungs through dust. The virus can also be absorbed through broken skin. Transmission through contaminated food is also possible.
The incubation period (time after virus uptake until illness) is usually two to four weeks.
How dangerous is the hantavirus?
The symptoms of hantavirus mostly consist of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and a cardio-pulmonary syndrome.
These are the symptoms of hemorrhagic fever. The first phase consists of:
- high fever
- chills
- headache, back pain
- lethargy
- stomach pain
- blurred vision and drowsiness
- Petechiae and other skin bleeding
The second phase usually begins five to eight days. This is how it makes itself felt:
- drop in blood pressure and thrombocytopenia (low platelet count in the blood)
- Anämie
- Increase in C-reactive protein (CRP)
The third phase occurs after nine to twelve days:
- kidney failure
- tubulointerstitial nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys)
- rare pulmonary edema
The symptoms of cardiopulmonary syndrome caused by hantavirus are:
- high feverish onset
- nausea  and vomiting
- Myalgia (muscle pain)
- weakness
- dizziness
- Cough
- Atemnotsyndrom
The risk of infection from person to person does not occur with the virus variants from Germany. After the symptoms listed appear, a doctor should be contacted and a hantavirus infection ruled out.
If more than one person falls ill in one area, the focus of infection should be traced and eliminated.
The probability of dying from the hantavirus is between 0.1 percent (PUUV infection) and 0.9 percent (DOBV infection) in Germany. Virus variants from other countries have more severe consequences, the lethality is between 10 percent and 15 percent.