Hantaviruses infecting humans in Eurasia include Hantaan, Seoul, Puumala and the closely
related Dobrava and Saaremaa viruses. These viruses are causative agents of hemorrhagic
fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), which is recognized as a severe health care problem
in several countries. Diagnostics of hantavirus infections relies on serology, performed
principally with enzyme immunoassay (EIA) or immunofluorescence assay (IFA). We developed
four 5-min immunochromatographic IgM-antibody tests for diagnostics of acute Puumala,
Dobrava and Hantaan virus infections and a similar combination test to detect all
Eurasian pathogenic hantavirus infections. We evaluated the assays using 100 fingertip
blood samples collected randomly from Finnish volunteers, 28 confirmed hantavirus
IgM-negative sera, and 77 sera from patients with acute infections of various hantaviruses.
The specificities and sensitivities of the Puumala-, Dobrava- and Hantaan virus -specific
tests varied from 96 to 100%, whereas, the combination test showed 96% specificity
and 80 to 93% sensitivity. Cross-reactions were observed commonly between the Dobrava
and the Hantaan virus tests, but only rarely between the Puumala and the Hantaan virus,
or the Puumala and the Dobrava virus, tests. Altogether, the rapid tests showed less
cross-reactivity than the respective EIA tests. According to the results, the performance
of these tests meets well the requirements for diagnostic use. Nevertheless, the specific
one-antigen tests were markedly more sensitive than the combination test. However,
if optimized, a combination test would be suitable for regions where several hantaviruses
circulate.