Hantaviruses are the causative agents of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in humans in the Americas; The primary reservoirs are in the rodents of the subfamily Sigmodontinae. In South America, cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome caused by numerous viral genotypes have been diagnosed. In Colombia, different serological studies have reported the circulation of hantavirus in humans and rodents. These viruses act in an intimate association with a rodent species that serves as a reservoir and have a distribution around the wild rodent, being limited to a specific geographic region. In South America, the first HPS-associated hantavirus was described in 1993 in Brazil and was called Juquitiva and from 1993 to 2012, more than 1400 cases had been identified in Brazil. This syndrome should be suspected in all patients with respiratory distress syndrome of unclear etiology, in areas endemic for the disease, especially if accompanied by fever, marked leukocytosis and thrombocytopenia and bilateral interstitial infiltrates. Hemorrhagic febrile syndrome has not yet been described in the Americas. There are no clinical or laboratory signs that are pathognomonic of hantavirus infection. The treatment is based on adequate hydration, use of antipyretics and anti-inflammatories and patients with signs of severity should establish a more aggressive management. Triage is indispensable, patients with co-morbidities have a higher mortality risk and therefore should be hospitalized. Future research in Colombia should be directed to multidisciplinary studies that include viral isolation, different clinical forms of case presentation, epidemiological differences, risk factors, and taxonomy of viruses and rodents.Keyswords: Arenavirus, bunyaviridae, reservoirs, rodentia, public health (Source: DeCS). RESUMENLos hantavirus, virus que son los agentes causantes de síndrome pulmonar por hantavirus en humanos en America; los reservorios primarios están en los roedores de la sub-familia Sigmodontinae. En Suramérica, se han diagnosticado casos del síndrome pulmonar por hantavirus y se han identifico numerosos genotipos virales. En Colombia, se han publicado diferentes estudios serológicos que reportaron la circulación de hantavirus en humanos y roedores. Estos virus actúan en una íntima asociación con una especie de roedor que le sirve de reservorio y presentan una distribución alrededor del roedor silvestre, limitándose a una región geográfica especifica. En Suramérica, el primer hantavirus asociado a SPH fue descrito en 1993 en Brasil y se denominó Juquitiva y desde 1993 hasta el 2012, se habían identificado más de 1400 casos en Brasil. Se debe sospechar de este síndrome en todo paciente con síndrome de distrés respiratorio de etiología no clara, en las zonas endémicas para la enfermedad sobre todo si se acompaña de fiebre, leucocitosis marcada y trombocitopenia e infiltrados intersticiales bilaterales. El síndrome febril hemorrágico aún no se han descrito casos en las Américas. No existen signos clínicos o de laboratorio que sean pato...

No abstract

The infectious syndromes associated with arenaviruses in South America are four: febrile syndrome of viral origin; Haemorrhagic fevers with or without neurological involvement; Aseptic meningitis and meningo-encephalitis. Among the Arenavirus of the new world is the Tacaribe complex where the viruses are found: Junín (Argentina), Guanarito (Venezuela), Machupo (Bolivia) and Sabiá (Brazil), which are characterized by hemorrhagic fevers. In Colombia the arenavirus Pichindé was isolated in 1965, from the rodent Oryzomys albigularis, in the valley of Pichindé (Valle del Cauca). This arenavirus produces a persistent infection in its host and is not pathogenic for the man. There is evidence of the circulation of the Guanarito virus in rodents from Córdoba, but there are no cases diagnosed in humans; In Colombia, the genome of the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus was detected in the brains of rodents Mus musculus. The diagnosis is based on the knowledge of local epidemiology and the suspicion of a patient with fever in endemic areas, where infections such as malaria, dengue and leptospirosis, sepsis of bacterial origin and rickectomy have been excluded. Virus isolation in the feverish period is the gold standart, but it implies contact with the virus that is highly infectious, which represents a public health problem. Serology has been used for diagnosis, but there is no commercial evidence and only research groups and large public health laboratories have these tests. Most of the patients present a moderate severity, which needs adequate hydration, antipyretics and anti-inflammatories. All patients with severe signs should be aggressively treated. The use of drugs has not demonstrated a decrease in mortality but a significant reduction in viremia.Keywords: Arenavirus, reservoirs, rodentia, public health (Source: DeCS). RESUMENLos síndromes infecciosos asociados a arenavirus en América del sur son cuatro: síndrome febril de origen viral; fiebres hemorrágicas con o sin compromiso neurológico; meningitis asépticas y meningoencefalitis. Entre los Arenavirus del nuevo mundo, está el complejo Tacaribe donde se encuentran los virus: Junín (Argentina), Guanarito (Venezuela), Machupo (Bolivia) y Sabiá (Brasil), que se caracterizan por causar fiebres hemorrágicas. En Colombia fue aislado el arenavirus Pichindé en 1965, del roedor Oryzomys albigularis, en el valle de Pichindé (Valle del Cauca). Este arenavirus produce una infección persistente en su hospedero y no es patógeno para el hombre. Hay evidencias de la circulación del virus Guanarito en roedores de Córdoba, pero no existen casos diagnosticados en humanos; en Sincelejo (Colombia) se detectó el genoma del virus coriomeningitis linfocítica en cerebros de roedores Mus musculus. El diagnóstico se basa en el conocimiento de la epidemiología local y la sospecha de un paciente con un cuadro febril en zonas endémicas, donde se han excluido infecciones como: malaria, dengue y leptospirosis, sepsis de origen bacteriano y rickectsiosis. El aislamiento viral en periodo fe...