Antiviral therapy and prevention against hantavirus infections.

Hantaviruses are emerging zoonoses hosted by small mammals. In humans, they cause two diseases. Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome is mainly caused by Dobrava-Belgrade virus, Puumala virus, Seoul virus and Hantaan virus in Asia and Europe. On the other hand, the most important causes of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome are Sin Nombre virus and Andes virus in Americas. Ribavirin yet remains the only licensed drug against the hantavirus infections, but its sufficient antiviral activity remains an issue under discussion. There are still no available vaccines against hantaviruses except of some inactivated virus vaccines licensed only in East-Asian countries. Some of the vaccines are under development in pre-clinical stages. The review discuses about specific compounds with approved antiviral activity against hantaviruses. Other approaches such as development of vaccines, are compiled as well.