''Puumala orthohantavirus'' (PUUV) is a species of ''

Orthohantavirus ''Orthohantavirus'' is a genus of single-stranded, enveloped, negative-sense RNA viruses in the family ''Hantaviridae'' within the order ''Bunyavirales''. Members of this genus may be called orthohantaviruses or simply hantaviruses. Orthohantav ...

''. Humans infected with the virus may develop a

haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome Hantavirus hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is a group of clinically similar illnesses caused by species of hantaviruses. It is also known as Korean hemorrhagic fever and epidemic hemorrhagic fever. It is found in Europe, Asia, and Af ...

(HFRS) known as nephropathia epidemica. ''Puumala orthohantavirus'' HFRS is lethal in less than 0.5% of the cases.Discertation for doctoral exam; Distribution of Puumalavirus in Sweden
, by C. Ahlm, second paragraph; latest access 2012-06-04 Rarely, PUUV infection can cause Guillain-Barré syndrome. ''Puumala orthohantavirus'' was discovered and named in 1980 named after

Puumala , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = , area_land_km2 = , area_water_km2 = , area_rank = , population_as_of = , population_footnotes = , population_total = , population_density_km2 = , population_rank = , demographics_type1 = , demograph ...

, a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...

. The virus is found predominantly in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

and

, although it has also been reported elsewhere in Northern Europe,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

. Because the

bank vole The bank vole (''Myodes glareolus'') is a small vole with red-brown fur and some grey patches, with a tail about half as long as its body. A rodent, it lives in woodland areas and is around in length. The bank vole is found in much of Europe an ...

(''Myodes glareolus'') acts as a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...

for the virus, nephropathia epidemica cases track with the vole population in a three- to four-year cycle. Humans are infected through inhalation of dust from vole droppings.It has been theorized that ''Puumala orthohantavirus'', unlike other members of the genus ''

'', may also have lethal effects on its rodent host. In August 2014 an

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i researcher studying the behavior of the bank vole in Finland died after contracting the ''Puumala orthohantavirus'', which caused a complete breakdown of her immune system.

References

Hantaviridae Rodent-carried diseases {{Virus-stub