Highlights

CDC assisted health officials in investigating an outbreak of Seoul virus infection that infected 17 people and found 31 infected ratteries in 11 states, which included Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin. Investigations by CDC and partnering state and local health departments indicated that potentially infected rodents could have been distributed or received in Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin.

The investigation included testing of rats and humans. In addition to testing provided by CDC for rats and people linked to ratteries with confirmed infections, commercial testing for rats was also available. In an initial evaluation, the test kits developed by the commercial laboratories IDEXX and Charles River laboratories* yielded test results with similar accuracy to those of the CDC test.

As part of a health monitoring program, rat owners and breeders may wish to test to know a rat’s infection status prior to admitting new animals into existing colonies.

* Names of commercial companies are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement by CDC or the Department of Health and Human Services.