Which of the following statements about hantaviruses is true?

• A. Hantaviruses are Gram-positive bacteria that cause respiratory infections.
• B. Hantaviruses are DNA viruses that infect only plants.
• C. Hantaviruses are commonly spread from person to person through direct contact.
• D. Hantaviruses are primarily transmitted to humans through the inhalation of aerosolized rodent excreta.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the nature of hantaviruses. Hantaviruses are not bacteria; they are viruses. Specifically, they belong to the family Hantaviridae and are RNA viruses, not DNA viruses.
2. Step 2: Review the mode of transmission. Hantaviruses are primarily transmitted to humans through inhalation of aerosolized particles from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva, rather than through person-to-person contact.
3. Step 3: Eliminate incorrect options based on microbiological classification and transmission. Since hantaviruses are RNA viruses and not bacteria, the statement about Gram-positive bacteria is false. Also, they do not infect plants, so the DNA virus infecting plants statement is incorrect.
4. Step 4: Confirm the correct statement by matching it with known epidemiological data: hantaviruses are transmitted mainly via aerosolized rodent excreta, which aligns with the correct answer provided.
5. Step 5: Summarize that hantaviruses cause diseases such as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) in humans, and their transmission is linked to exposure to infected rodents, not person-to-person contact.