Case of deadly virus in Montauk probed

A potential case of hantavirus, a life-threatening disease spread to humans by rodents, in Montauk is being investigated by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a spokeswoman for the agency said Wednesday.

CDC officials said they are working with the New York State Department of Health on the case after a Montauk chiropractor, David Hartstein, 35, died from what his family said was hantavirus.

Heather Hartstein, the doctor's wife, said that she was told CDC officials will be collecting more specimens from the medical examiner's office and inspecting her home, which remains empty, to determine the strain that killed her husband.

His wife said David Hartstein died Friday after becoming severely ill four weeks after cleaning up the basement of the family home.

About two weeks ago, Hartstein began having minor pains, his wife said. The next week, he had a fever, and pain in his muscles and hands.

He spent most of the day before he died in bed. After complaining of nausea, he was taken to Southampton Hospital where he later died.

"The most important thing that we would want is for this to be an awareness made to people," said Heather Hartstein, 36, a special-education teacher. "I want for people to make conscious decisions when they are doing things like cleaning damp, dark spaces in their homes. They need to wear masks and gloves."

Hantavirus is rare. As of May 2011, the CDC has reported 568 cases in the United States.

Rodents, who host the virus, shed it in their urine, droppings and saliva, according to the agency. The disease is mainly spread to people who breathe in air contaminated with the virus, officials said.

Hartstein said she and her husband had lived in Montauk for nine years. The couple has three children, ages 5, 3, and 1.

"He was a supportive husband," she said. "He was a highly involved and loving father. He was a cherished doctor and friend."