An international research team has traced the transmission chain of an Andes hantavirus outbreak aboard the M/V Hondius cruise ship that left three passengers dead this spring, RTS reported.
Thirteen passengers were infected during the voyage that set sail from Ushuaïa, Argentina.
“La séquence d’apparition des symptômes, les données génomiques et les schémas de contact étroits plaident pour une introduction du virus d’un rongeur à un passager, suivie d’une transmission” d’humain à humain à bord du bateau, told virologist Isabella Eckerle to RTS.
- Extended Incubation Dynamics: The timeline stretched across two months, challenging previous assumptions regarding standard symptom onset windows for initial exposures.
To identify the outbreak source, scientists conducted concurrent epidemiological and genetic investigations. The first case emerged on April 3, shortly after the vessel departed from Ushuaïa, Argentina.
The thirteenth and final patient developed symptoms of the severe respiratory illness on May 31, exactly 60 days after the departure.
Simultaneously, the research team analyzed the genetic material of the virus recovered from the infected patients. Genomic sequencing across 10 of the 13 cases revealed a highly similar viral imprint from one individual to another, confirming secondary transmission aboard the ship.
Analysis further demonstrated that the cruise ship virus shares close genetic proximity with natural strains of the Andes virus circulating in Argentine Patagonia. The research collaboration involved laboratories spanning France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Canada, Senegal, and South Africa, with findings detailed in Science.
| Outbreak Parameter | Documented Metric |
|---|---|
| Total Confirmed Cases | 13 passengers |
| Fatalities | 3 individuals |
| First Symptom Onset | 3 avril 2026 |
| Final Symptom Onset | 31 mai 2026 |
The M/V Hondius subsequently arrived in the port of Rotterdam on May 18, as investigators continued mapping the transmission routes of the outbreak across international jurisdictions.
