CDC Doesn't Have Hantavirus PCR Test as 10 People In US Being Monitored [View all]

Source: Newsweek

Published May 13, 2026 at 03:45 AM EDT updated May 13, 2026 at 01:46 PM EDT


The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently doesn't have a polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, test to detect the Andes strain of the hantavirus in patients, as 10 people who were potentially exposed to the virus are being monitored in five U.S. states. Officials in those states—California, Kansas, Maryland, New Jersey and Washington—have said the individuals had not been on board the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship the MV Hondius, but that all had contact with someone who later tested positive for hantavirus.

None of the individuals is displaying symptoms, and officials said the risk level in each state remains low. The CDC does have a PCR test to detect the virus, but it cannot be used for patient management, as it is in the research stage, Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services, told WIRED. Efforts are being made to validate the test for diagnostic use

How Does a PCR Test Work?

Samples for a PCR test are usually in the form of nasal or throat swabs or blood tests. PCR tests can detect viruses early, even before someone is showing symptoms.

Currently, tests to detect hantavirus in asymptomatic individuals are conducted "using molecular methods, such as RT-qPCR, which measures viral genomes in the blood, as well as serological assays that detect hantavirus-specific antibodies, i.e., the immune response mounted against the virus," Alexander Ploss, co-director of the Global Health Program and a molecular biology professor at Princeton University, told Newsweek. "These assays can only be carried out by specialized labs," he said.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/three-people-high-risk-exposure-hantavirus-monitored-kansas-11944500