Puumala orthohantavirus: prevalence, biology, disease, animal models and recent advances in therapeutics development and structural biology
Puumala orthohantavirus (PUUV) is an emerging zoonotic virus that was first discovered in the Puumala region of Finland in the early 1980s and is the primary etiological agent of nephropathia epidemica (NE), a milder form of a life-threatening disease known as hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Immunology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1575112/full |
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| author | Alina Tscherne Pablo Guardado-Calvo Jordan J. Clark Jordan J. Clark Robert Krause Florian Krammer Florian Krammer Florian Krammer Florian Krammer |
| author_facet | Alina Tscherne Pablo Guardado-Calvo Jordan J. Clark Jordan J. Clark Robert Krause Florian Krammer Florian Krammer Florian Krammer Florian Krammer |
| author_sort | Alina Tscherne |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Puumala orthohantavirus (PUUV) is an emerging zoonotic virus that was first discovered in the Puumala region of Finland in the early 1980s and is the primary etiological agent of nephropathia epidemica (NE), a milder form of a life-threatening disease known as hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). PUUV and other members of the Old World hantaviruses (OWHVs) predominantly circulate in rodents or insectivores across Eurasia, accounting for several thousand of reported HFRS cases every year (with many more unreported/misdiagnosed cases suspected). The rodent reservoir of PUUV is the common bank vole (Myodes (M.) glareolus), and transmission of the virus to humans occurs via inhalation of contagious aerosols and through contact with contaminated droppings or urine. Although PUUV is the subject of extensive research, due to its potential to cause severe disease outcomes in humans and its considerable economic and social impact, neither licensed vaccines nor specific antiviral treatments are available against PUUV. However, many important advancements have been made in terms of PUUV research over the last years. This included the elucidation of its glycoproteins, the discovery of broadly neutralizing hantavirus antibodies as therapeutic candidates and expanded research on the mRNA vaccine technology which will likely enable the development of strong PUUV vaccine candidates in the near future. Currently, there is still a lack of suitable animal models for the preclinical evaluation of experimental vaccines and antivirals, which hampers vaccine and antiviral development. Current attempts to decrease hantavirus-associated human infections rely primarily on prevention and countermeasures for rodent control, including reduced contact to droppings, saliva and urine, and disinfection of areas that are contaminated with rodent excreta. Here, we review these recent advances and other aspects including PUUV prevalence, virus biology, diagnosis and clinical features, and current animal models for vaccine and treatment development. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7edb0a36a07b48cda87e1e56a3eb4ac8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-3224 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Immunology |
| spelling | doaj-art-7edb0a36a07b48cda87e1e56a3eb4ac82025-08-20T03:52:43ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Immunology1664-32242025-05-011610.3389/fimmu.2025.15751121575112Puumala orthohantavirus: prevalence, biology, disease, animal models and recent advances in therapeutics development and structural biologyAlina Tscherne0Pablo Guardado-Calvo1Jordan J. Clark2Jordan J. Clark3Robert Krause4Florian Krammer5Florian Krammer6Florian Krammer7Florian Krammer8Ignaz Semmelweis Institute, Interuniversity Institute for Infection Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaG5 Unit Structural Biology of Infectious Diseases, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, FranceDepartment of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United StatesCenter for Vaccine Research and Pandemic Preparedness (C-VaRPP), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Graz, Graz, AustriaIgnaz Semmelweis Institute, Interuniversity Institute for Infection Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United StatesCenter for Vaccine Research and Pandemic Preparedness (C-VaRPP), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United StatesPuumala orthohantavirus (PUUV) is an emerging zoonotic virus that was first discovered in the Puumala region of Finland in the early 1980s and is the primary etiological agent of nephropathia epidemica (NE), a milder form of a life-threatening disease known as hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). PUUV and other members of the Old World hantaviruses (OWHVs) predominantly circulate in rodents or insectivores across Eurasia, accounting for several thousand of reported HFRS cases every year (with many more unreported/misdiagnosed cases suspected). The rodent reservoir of PUUV is the common bank vole (Myodes (M.) glareolus), and transmission of the virus to humans occurs via inhalation of contagious aerosols and through contact with contaminated droppings or urine. Although PUUV is the subject of extensive research, due to its potential to cause severe disease outcomes in humans and its considerable economic and social impact, neither licensed vaccines nor specific antiviral treatments are available against PUUV. However, many important advancements have been made in terms of PUUV research over the last years. This included the elucidation of its glycoproteins, the discovery of broadly neutralizing hantavirus antibodies as therapeutic candidates and expanded research on the mRNA vaccine technology which will likely enable the development of strong PUUV vaccine candidates in the near future. Currently, there is still a lack of suitable animal models for the preclinical evaluation of experimental vaccines and antivirals, which hampers vaccine and antiviral development. Current attempts to decrease hantavirus-associated human infections rely primarily on prevention and countermeasures for rodent control, including reduced contact to droppings, saliva and urine, and disinfection of areas that are contaminated with rodent excreta. Here, we review these recent advances and other aspects including PUUV prevalence, virus biology, diagnosis and clinical features, and current animal models for vaccine and treatment development.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1575112/fullPuumala orthohantavirusanimal modelsvaccine researchantiviral treatmentglycoproteinnephropathia epidemica |
| spellingShingle | Alina Tscherne Pablo Guardado-Calvo Jordan J. Clark Jordan J. Clark Robert Krause Florian Krammer Florian Krammer Florian Krammer Florian Krammer Puumala orthohantavirus: prevalence, biology, disease, animal models and recent advances in therapeutics development and structural biology Frontiers in Immunology Puumala orthohantavirus animal models vaccine research antiviral treatment glycoprotein nephropathia epidemica |
| title | Puumala orthohantavirus: prevalence, biology, disease, animal models and recent advances in therapeutics development and structural biology |
| title_full | Puumala orthohantavirus: prevalence, biology, disease, animal models and recent advances in therapeutics development and structural biology |
| title_fullStr | Puumala orthohantavirus: prevalence, biology, disease, animal models and recent advances in therapeutics development and structural biology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Puumala orthohantavirus: prevalence, biology, disease, animal models and recent advances in therapeutics development and structural biology |
| title_short | Puumala orthohantavirus: prevalence, biology, disease, animal models and recent advances in therapeutics development and structural biology |
| title_sort | puumala orthohantavirus prevalence biology disease animal models and recent advances in therapeutics development and structural biology |
| topic | Puumala orthohantavirus animal models vaccine research antiviral treatment glycoprotein nephropathia epidemica |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1575112/full |
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