Hantavirus infection in Thailand: first clinical case report.

ABSTRACT

This study involved 115 cases of fever of unknown origin (FUO) patients who were admitted to the Department of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital from May 1999 to November 2000. Among the patient sera screened by ELISA for IgG Hantavirus, five were positive for IgG Hantavirus-reacting antibodies and eight tested positive for IgM Hantavirus-reacting antibodies. One serum had both IgG and IgM antibodies. The patient exhibited acute encephalitic febrile illness, thrombocytopenia, high AST and ALT levels, and prolonged coagulation time. It appears that a form of the Hantaan virus is circulating in Thailand, which can infect humans and be pathogenic in some instances.