The etiological agent of Korean hemorrhagic fever (KHF) was first discovered from lung tissue of Apodemus agrarius by Lee and Lee in 1976. In 1978, Lee et al. had isolated the same agent from KHF patient´s sera and had succeeded the propagation of the virus in Apodemus
;. agrarius.
P´ In 1981, French et al. succeeded in the propagation of the agent in a tissue culture cell line. In 1981, the etiological agent of KHF was named Hantaan virus after the Hantaan river by Lee.
The etiological relations have been shown by serologic means among KHF in Korea, hemorrhagic nephroso-nephritis in USSR, nephropathia epidemica in Scandinavia, epidemic hemorrhagic fever (EHF) in Japan and EHF in China. At a WHO meeting in Tokyo in February 1982 the working groups on Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome recommended that the above mentioned diseases with different names be referred as "Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS)".
The natural reservoir of Hantaan virus in Korea was demonstrated ae Apodemus agrarius coreae. In the report of the transmission of Hantaan virus in Apodemus mice, large amounts of virus were excreted in urine and saliva. The susceptibility of Apodemus mice to Hantaan virus was analysed by sex, age, location of collection of the mice and route of inoculation. The amount of virus in the urine excreted daily from infected Apodemus mice was calculated.
1. There was no difference in susceptibility of Apodemus mice by sex and age after inoculation of Hantaan virus.
2. The susceptibility of Jejudo mice (Apodemus agrarius jejuensis) and Chindo and Kyungkido mice (Apodemus agrarius coreae) to Hantaan virus was almost equal.
3. The most high infectivity of Hantaan virus among the different route of inoculation was by direct intralung inoculation of virus and infection occurred via intranasal and oral routes also.
4. The order of amount of virus in the organs of infected Apodemus mice by Hantaan virus was as follows; lungs, salivary glands, kidneys and liver.
5. The daily average amount of urine that was excreted by an Apodemus mouse was about 1.8 ml and contained about 20,00040,000 Apodemus mice ID5o of Hantaan virus.
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