Hantaviruses: seroprevalence and risk factors among humans in Achaia prefecture, Greece

Introduction Inhalation of hantavirus-contaminated aerosol of rodents’ excreta can cause in humans hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Eurasia and Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the Americas. In Greece, 1-5 cases are being diagnosed annually, mainly in the northern and western part. After the recent diagnosis of a hantavirus infection in Achaia prefecture (Peloponesse), a seroepidemiological study was designed to determine seroprevalence in the local population and to assess factors playing a role in the acquisition of hantavirus infection.