“An exotics veterinarian, a public health veterinarian, and a veterinary epidemiologist walk into a rattery….”

It may sound like the setup for a very odd joke, but this is exactly what’s been happening in Illinois recently, as local, state, and federal health agencies respond to several human cases of Seoul virus transmitted by rats.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) have been investigating at least 10 human cases in Wisconsin and Illinois of exposure to Seoul virus, a strain of hantavirus that may cause mild illness and has the potential to cause severe kidney problems (but is distinct from a more lethal hantavirus strain that causes respiratory disease). At two Illinois rat-breeding facilities—called ratteries—rats and people tested positive for the virus in January. Before the discovery of the infection, rats from these facilities had been shipped to 12 other states, where investigations into possible spread of the virus are still under way.

Unfortunately, this story has no simple punch line. But there is one positive aspect to the ongoing investigation: It provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the ways that human, animal, and environmental health are inextricably linked.

On January 30, we talked with two College of Veterinary Medicine faculty members who have assisted in the investigation to learn more.