On April 1st, the MV Hondius cruise ship departed from Ushuaia for an expedition in the waters of the South Atlantic and became the scene of a hantavirus outbreak that has cost the lives of three passengers and infected several crew members. This situation brings to mind the Diamond Princess in February 2020, which was the epicenter of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, raising questions about our ability to handle health crises and the potential increase in such incidents in the coming years. But what do we know about this virus and its potential transmission between humans?
The Hantavirus incident on the MV Hondius, originating from Ushuaia, has resulted in multiple deaths and infections, immediately evoking memories of the Diamond Princess. Virologist Yves Gaudin points out that cruises are ideal environments for viral circulation because “people are stuck on the boat,” making it a perfect space for contamination. However, he quickly emphasizes a crucial difference with Covid: the Hantavirus is much less transmissible between humans, despite being “a virus with a very high fatality rate, but not efficient in human-to-human transmission,” he explains.
The virologist notes that Hantaviruses belong to a completely different family than coronaviruses. These negative-sense RNA viruses require more complex replication mechanisms, as “they do not have the same replication mechanisms” and “from an evolutionary point of view, they have no connection to coronaviruses.” Gaudin also distinguishes between the American forms, responsible for severe respiratory syndromes, and the European forms like the Puumala virus, transmitted by voles. While some treatments partially exist in Europe, “for Hantaviruses causing respiratory syndromes […] there are no medications at all.”
The interview concludes with a discussion on the state of French research post-Covid. Despite the pandemic, Gaudin believes that funding in French research remains stagnant: “there is not much more money in French research […] it keeps decreasing.” In contrast, he highlights China’s massive investments in structural biology and state-of-the-art equipment, particularly to understand “how viral proteins interact with drugs.” Behind the resurgence of virologists, he describes French research as continuing to function but with insufficient means.
