title: Diagnosis and treatment of new world hantavirus infections.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this review is to summarize the current knowledge regarding the diagnosis and treatment of indigenous new world hantavirus infections.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Recent studies have defined the incubation period of new world hantavirus infections, provided additional evidence for person-to-person transmission of Andes virus, described a rapid method for the presumptive diagnosis of infection in the cardiopulmonary phase through a review of the peripheral smear, and suggested that intravenous ribavirin is probably not effective for the treatment of new world hantavirus infections when started in the cardiopulmonary phase.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Presumptive diagnosis may be made by a review of the peripheral blood smear after the onset of the cardiopulmonary phase. Critical care management includes the avoidance of fluid overload, pressors to maintain cardiac output, and the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the most severe cases, but treatment with intravenous ribavirin is probably not effective.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131-0001, USA. gmertz@salud.unm.edu
authors.forename: Gregory J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Mertz
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hjelle
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crowley
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Iwamoto
authors.forename: Vinko
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tomicic
authors.forename: Pablo A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Vial
mesh_terms: D006476:Orthohantavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018778:Hantavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000821:virology*; D013577:Syndrome