Abstract
The family Bunyaviridae consists of over 300 virus species and strains that are divided into 5 genera: orthobunyavirus, hantavirus, nairovirus, phlebovirus, and tospovirus. All members of family Bunyaviridae possess a negative-sense, single stranded tripartite RNA genome, consisting of large (L), medium (M) and small (S) segments, which encode an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, two envelope glyoproteins (Gn and Gc) and nucleocapsid (N) protein, respectively. Insects and arthropods serve as vectors of viruses in the Bunyaviridae, except for hantviruses, which instead are harbored by rodents. However, phylogenetically distinct soricomorph-associated hantaviruses have been discovered in widely separated geographical regions spanning four continents. This new finding strongly suggests that evolutionary record of hantaviruses is far more complex and ancient than originally expected. Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease recently described in northeast and central China. The causative agent of SFTS is phylogenetically classified to genus phlebivirus, but unlike to other member in genus phlebovirus, SFTV transmit by ticks. This review provides a brief overview of hantavirus and hantavirus infection and describes about two newly appeared viruses in the family Bunyaviridae.
