Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever

Guanarito mammarenavirus
Virus classification Edit this classification
(unranked): Virus
Realm: Riboviria
Kingdom: Orthornavirae
Phylum: Negarnaviricota
Class: Ellioviricetes
Order: Bunyavirales
Family: Arenaviridae
Genus: Mammarenavirus
Species:
Guanarito mammarenavirus
Synonyms[1]
  • Guanarito virus
Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever
SpecialtyInfectious disease

Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever (VHF) is a zoonotic human illness first identified in 1989. The disease is most prevalent in several rural areas of central Venezuela and is caused by Guanarito mammarenavirus (GTOV) which belongs to the Arenaviridae family. The short-tailed cane mouse (Zygodontomys brevicauda) is the main host for GTOV [2] which is spread mostly by inhalation of aerosolized droplets of saliva, respiratory secretions, urine, or blood from infected rodents.[3] Person-to-person spread is possible, but uncommon.

  1. ^ "ICTV Taxonomy history: Guanarito mammarenavirus". International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  2. ^ Salas R, de Manzione N, Tesh RB, et al. (October 1991). "Venezuelan haemorrhagic fever". Lancet. 338 (8774): 1033–6. doi:10.1016/0140-6736(91)91899-6. PMID 1681354. S2CID 22660700.
  3. ^ Milazzo ML, Cajimat MN, Duno G, et al. (December 2011). "Transmission of Guanarito and Pirital viruses among wild rodents, Venezuela". Emerging Infect. Dis. 17 (12): 2209–15. doi:10.3201/eid1712.110393. PMC 3311192. PMID 22172205.