Hantaviruses are emerging zoonotic pathogens that belong to the Bunyaviridae family. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classifies them as Category A pathogens. They pose a serious threat to human health as their infection can lead to haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) or hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), both of which are highly fatal. These pathogens are transmitted to humans via aerosols containing the excreta of infected rodent hosts.

Hantaviruses possess a tripartite negative-strand RNA genome. The three genomic RNA segments (S, M and L) encode