hantavirus: Meaning and Definition of

han•ta•vi•rus

Pronunciation: (hän'tu-vī"rus, han'-), [key]
— pl. -rus•es.
  1. any of several viruses of the family Bunyaviridae, spread chiefly by wild rodents, that cause acute respiratory illness, kidney failure, and other syndromes.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.