WHEN KIDNEY BIOPSY GUIDES THE DIAGNOSIS OF HANTAVIRUS INFECTION

Abstract

Hantavirus infection is increasingly widespread in the last years, but diagnosing this infection could be difficult sometimes, given the nonspecific symptoms and the lack of experience by physicians into this direction. Hantavirus infection is a viral infection causing two major syndromes: Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and Cardiopulmonary syndrome (CPS). We present the case of a young man, admitted to the hospital with fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and oligoanuria, in whom the diagnosis of hantavirus infection was established following the kidney biopsy, in addition to the ELISA assay. According to the literature, all histological findings concluded to hantavirus nephritis. Interstitial hemorrhage in the medulla is a main characteristic of hantavirus infection. Despite the fact that the identified serotype (Hantaan virus) is responsible for a severe form of this disease, the patient's evolution was favorable, with recovery of renal function after 1 month.