HEMORRHAGIC-FEVER WITH RENAL SYNDROME CAUSED BY THE SEOUL VIRUS

The Seoul virus is an important etiologic agent in hemorrhagic fever w ith renal syndrome (HFRS), and infections with the Seoul virus are les s severe than those with the Hantaan virus. However, the information o n HFRS caused by the Seoul virus is limited in Korea. Retrospective cl inical analysis was done on 30 patients with Seoul virus infection who had been diagnosed as having HFRS by clinical features and serologic testing by the plaque reduction neutralization test from 1986 to 1991 at the Seoul National University Hospital. They were compared with 69 patients with Hantaan virus infection. The Seoul virus was the etiolog ic agent in 25 % of Korean HFRS and the major cause of HFRS during the summer season although infections occurred throughout the year. The S eoul virus infection had a milder degree of bleeding and renal derange ment but had severer liver dysfunction than the Hantaan virus infectio n. Renal histopathologic findings revealed a milder degree of hemorrha ge and vascular changes than cases involving Hantaan virus infection, The precise mechanisms of vascular dysfunction and organ involvement i n Seoul virus infection, however, still remain to be explored.