arenavirus

A genus of medium-sized, spherical, RNA-containing enveloped viruses that cause various haemorrhagic fevers, including Lassa fever and Argentine haemorrhagic fever. A number of different rodent species are carriers for the viruses, for example, cotton rats and vesper mice in South America. It is transmitted to humans during contact with dust containing dried particles of infected rodent excreta.

It derives its name from the Latin arena (‘sand’) because of its grainy, sandy appearance under the electron microscope.