Rat Forum banner

Pet Rat virus just discovered in Illinois and Wisconsin

33K views 137 replies 30 participants last post by  Catsratz 
#1 ·
(CNN)The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Friday that pet rats are the source of an outbreak of Seoul virus infections in Illinois and Wisconsin. The virus has been confirmed in eight patients in an ongoing investigation.




The recent cases are "the first human cases we've seen in the United States associated with pet rats," said Dr. Jennifer McQuiston, a veterinarian and deputy division director for CDC's division of high consequent pathogens and pathology. Several previous outbreaks reported in the US occurred in wild rats.
"There was an outbreak reported in Europe previously associated with pet rats, so it's not the first time this has been associated with pets worldwide," McQuiston said.
Investigation in Wisconsin leads to Illinois
The initial patient in the current outbreak, a resident of Wisconsin, visited a hospital with flu-like symptoms, according to Stephanie Smiley, director of the bureau of communicable disease with Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The patient was a home-based rodent breeder.
Because of the patient's exposure to rodents, the doctor had a "hunch" to test for hantavirus, explained Smiley.

Cats, the ultimate weapon in public health


Following a positive test result for hantavirus in late December, Wisconsin health officials sent a sample from the patient to the CDC along with a separate sample from a second patient -- a family member who also worked with rodents.
On January 11, the CDC confirmed infections with Seoul virus, a rodent-borne hantavirus, in both patients.
Though related, Seoul virus is considered different from hantavirus and it is not typically seen in the US, said McQuiston.
"This is typically associated with a milder illness than we think about with the classic hantavirus we talk about in the US, but it can be, in rare cases, associated with some more severe symptoms, such as renal disease," said McQuiston.
According to Smiley, symptoms of Seoul virus can include fever, chills, nausea, pink eye-type eye infection and abdominal pain. Though it rarely happens, a simple infection can progress to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which begins with fever, severe aches and fatigue, and may turn fatal.

Is your pet going to make you ill?


Seoul virus symptoms often develop within one to two weeks after contact, but can take as long as eight weeks to appear, said Smiley.
Both of the Wisconsin patients have since recovered, but the discovery of infection led to a follow-up investigation at several rat suppliers, which revealed an additional six cases of Seoul virus among workers at two Illinois breeding facilities, according to Melaney Arnold, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health. She added these cases were confirmed by the CDC on January 18.
"Six people tested positive for Seoul virus, but only one experienced illness," said Arnold, explaining that five people showed no symptoms of the virus, which cannot be transmitted among people, regardless of whether symptoms are present or not. The one patient who became sick has since recovered.
Public health officials said that more ratteries and more infected people may be identified as the investigation proceeds.
A 'complicated' investigation
Usually people become infected when they come in contact with infectious fluids, such as blood, saliva and urine, from infected rats, or are bitten by them. Infected rats typically do not appear sick.
Worldwide, the Seoul virus is carried by wild Norway rats.




Worldwide, the Seoul virus is carried by wild Norway rats, which first arrived on this continent during the late 1700s and then began to dominate urban centers throughout the country. Most infections among people have been reported in Asia.
"Illinois Department of Public Health is currently working with local health departments and the ratteries to identify clients and people who may have been exposed to the rats, but the total numbers are unknown," said Arnold. The state's health department is working with both the CDC and the Wisconsin Department of Public Health to try to identify the origin of the rats.
Meanwhile, the CDC is working with local and state health authorities in both states to continue testing rats and humans for Seoul virus infections.
McQuiston explained that the CDC has been tracing back to where rats may have come from, and tracing out to where rats may have gone from the facilities where Seoul virus infections occurred.

Diseases you thought were gone


"It's been fairly complicated," said McQuiston, adding that the CDC believes so far that the virus has not spread beyond or outside "the network that we're investigating right now."
Anyone who recently purchased a rat in the affected areas and experiences Seoul virus symptoms should contact their healthcare provider immediately.
People in Illinois and Wisconsin who have purchased or come in contact with rats from the affected breeders should contact their local or state health departments.
"Our general recommendation is that anybody who has a pet rodent or pet rat should be cognizant of good pet care behavior," said McQuiston.
Caring for a pet rat
To prevent diseases or infections carried by rats, people should wash their hands with soap and running water after touching or feeding rodents or cleaning their habitats. Children need to be assisted with their handwashing.

The virus hunters in search of the next outbreak


Whenever possible, pet owners should clean and disinfect rodent cages and supplies outside the home -- never perform this clean-up in the kitchen or bathroom. Wear gloves, if possible, to avoid coming into contact with droppings or urine.
Because pet rodents can shed germs and contaminate areas where they roam, make sure their cages are properly secured and safe.
Avoid bites and scratches from any rodent. Even if an animal seems friendly, be cautious. Routinely visit your veterinarian to keep a pet rodent healthy and disease-free.
Join the conversation
See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter.



If bitten or scratched, wash the wound with warm soapy water immediately. Even healthy pets can carry germs.
See a doctor if the pet appears sick, if the wound is serious, if the wound turns red, painful, warm or swollen, if your last tetanus shot was more than five years ago or if you develop sudden fever or flu-like illness within two weeks after being bitten.
"We have seen occasional rare cases of Seoul virus infections in the US but those have not been linked to pet rodents. It's thought that they were more linked to wild rat exposure," said McQuiston. "We do know Seoul virus can circulate in wild rat populations -- really around the world. We don't really know how often or common it is, it's not a very well studied virus in that respect."

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/20/health/pet-rats-seoul-virus-outbreak-cdc-bn/index.html
 
See less See more
6
#2 ·
As someone who lives in Wisconsin and obviously deals with a lot of rats, I am going to get looked at just in case. Thanks so much for this info!
 
#3 ·
I just wanted to add that MANY breeders right now, from all over the US even those who have no way possible to be concerned are temporarily closing with a no rats in or out rule until the CDC investigation is over.
Mostly as a show of support for those breeders but also to show that we put the health of our rats and people above sales and to encourage no one to buy any rats during this time. Things like this spread easily, many breeders were involved from sharing rats. Rats are shared all the time across states. Until the CDC's investigation is over it is much safer to not buy any rats.

I highly advise everyone to not purchase any rats at this time. Even more so from unknown sources or where they have brought in any new rats recently.

Also everyone should send support and good thoughts for all those involved!

Help spread the word! Give support to those breeders choosing to be responsible and enourage others not to buy at this time.
 
#4 ·
My friend from Illinois just sent me an article on this yesterday, she's got two berkshire boys that she got from a breeder 5(ish) months ago. They weren't from any breeder that has been confirmed to be associated with the virus. Should I tell her to get checked out? Also is it true that only "brown rats" carry it? That's what I was told by someone but maybe they were confused about Norway rats vs Rat coat colors?
 
#5 ·
I would tell her. Every rat owner needs to know about this.
 
#9 ·
It is insanely rare. These are some of the first cases of people ever getting it in the US even.

Wild rats do carry it and it is why we stress don't handle wild rodents. They are not pets. Do not catch them. That is very likely what happened though it is not known at this time.

Our pets do not naturally have it, they likely were in contact with wild rats that did.

It is carried by blood, feces, urine and saliva. it can be kicked up in the bedding & such and infect us that way as well. So yes if your rats have it you likely would as well.


This is something we all should take very very seriously. But also it is not something that should cause a panic. It is highly unlikely any of our pets are infected that have not been in contact with the infected rats. The only real issue is that we do not know how long ago rats were infected or how wide spread it could be.



Also in case no one has heard the CDC is planning on removing and euthanizing all of one of the breeders who tested positive rats. My heart goes out to her :( This is a very tragic incident.
 
#11 ·
How heartbreaking for ratteries to go through this, I can't even imagine! Do we know if the breeders involved are just small hobby/pet breeders or were any of them larger scale breeders that supply frozen feeders or mills (in which case reptile owners will have the same problem)?

I'm not concerned for my bunch, but I did find the CDC's recommendation for preventing contracting this from pet rats rather hopeless, like moonkissed pointed out (avoid direct contact with urine, feces, saliva and don't get scratched, don't use a dry vacuum because it's airborne too, etc).
 
#12 ·
How heartbreaking for ratteries to go through this, I can't even imagine! Do we know if the breeders involved are just small hobby/pet breeders or were any of them larger scale breeders that supply frozen feeders or mills (in which case reptile owners will have the same problem)?
Some of them are very well known breeders. And as such their rats could potentially be everywhere and it could have spread far and wide.

They were not mills. I am not sure if they supplied food or not. I do know one of the breeders who tested positive had snakes and the CDC took all of them too.
Someone who worked in a pet shop said they got rats from one of the breeders (idk if it were for food or pets) & idk if it is even true.

We just have no idea how contained it is right now.

I STRONGLY suggest no one buys any rats from ANY source right now, until the CDC investigation is over.

You can have your rats tested. The test itself is like $11 but some states require you to work through your vet so your vet may charge more.
http://www.idexxbioresearch.com/opti-spot-sop
 
#15 ·
No it was first found among hobby breeders. The breeder herself & her son were sick. She had to go to the hospital for it where she tested positive for it. They traced the rats and other breeders who had contact tested them and they were positive as well. Though I believe no one else was sick or showing any symptoms. People tested positive before any rats were ever tested.
http://www.dph.illinois.gov/news/il...orts-six-cases-viral-illness-linked-ratteries


Honestly there are other viruses too out there that make it very unsafe to ever visit a pet store where rats are sold :(

If you get your rats tested and they test positive, they will be killed! Be aware of that. I love my rats, I'm not going to get them tested. No way.
Ofcourse if any animal has a virus that can be spread it needs to be euthanized so it does not spread it. While some people are afraid that the CDC will just swoop in, it is pretty doubtful when just having it tested yourself. But the animal should be put down.
And IMO it is far better to know then not know. Atleast if you know you can take precautions. And get yourself in to see a doctor, because you likely have it as well.

I love my rats with all of my heart. But I also love myself, my family and others. This virus is not super deadly but it can kill people or make people very sick.

People who do not euthanize the sick rats put not only other people at risk but risk spreading it further.

Some people are saying this may have started a year ago when rats tested positive and nothing was done!

Lets just say this thing spreads all over, what will that mean for the future of our pet rats? How many more people are going to have to lose all of their rats because of it?
 
#17 ·
I live in MN and was wondering what my level of concern should be. We got our rats in October. So, I assume we'd know by now if someone in our household was going to get sick. I read this today, "To date, state health officials in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin have been notified that their residents may have infected rats." https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/han00400.asp
 
#20 ·
Yep I popped into say that it is now being reported that those states as well may have infected :(

I believe as a pet owner I not only have a responsibility to my rats but also to the community. Hopefully this is a problem that will be isolated and easy to contain as I too can imagine some serious and devastating outcomes for the rodent fancy.

Is the test a matter of taking in a fecal sample?

EDIT- nevermind, I see in the link that a blood sample is required.
I agree. Sad that some people do not take things seriously and then we end up with major outbreaks.

in the Northeast there is also a SDA outbreak going around.

I am a breeder so I definitely am not going to sell sick rats. But even as a pet owner I would be worried.

But mostly I do think about the rats involved. How many people are going to lose ALL of their rats right now because someone didn't test or did test and did nothing about it? Even if I were a lovely person and was going to keep my rats forever, what if I died tomorrow and my rats had to be rehomed?

It is done by blood. I just got my testing kit today in the mail. The suggested method to get blood is to prick the base of the tail or to over trim a nail. My poor babies :(
 
#26 · (Edited)
No one, I repeat no one ever died from that virus. I spoke too quickly. The flu is killing between 3000 and 20,000+ a year and no one is panicking half like a few breeders now for something that never killed anyone and that most likely (99.99999% chance) won't even kill 1 person anywhere in the US. So please stop panicking and making everyone worried for absolutely nothing.
 
#29 · (Edited)
I think you are mistaken about why people are getting upset....

It is not over the worry that people may get sick very much. Or that people will die. Even though eh still no breeder should EVER be selling a rat that carries any virus no matter how deadly or not deadly it is. That is not ethical.
And it is also easy to say no one has died or even been that sick when it is so rare. There hasn't really been an outbreak before.

The CDC obviously cares....

Breeders are in a panic because we are watching our friends rats all be killed. Every single rat they owned. Their beloved pets, members of their family killed. Not to even mention the years and years of work, effort and dedication that went into those lines.

The one breeder had her rats euthanized yesterday, another today. I saw the pictures. They did it in her home. It made me cry.


I am a breeder and I am used to life and death. I've had to cull rats even. But seeing that carried out.... it would have killed me.

I can not even begin to imagine what they are going through. So yes breeders are scared and worried right now.


The health department said they were shocked at how organized and large spread the rat community actually is and how we all share rats. By far most good breeders hopefully quarantine, but others do not and as this virus shows no symptoms it would unlikely go unnoticed in a quarantine. And there has actually been litter study on actual rats with he virus so there is conflicting info on how it is spread.

The CDC is looking directly at rat breeders right now. People are terrified that the CDC is going to come in and kill all of their rats.

People are even afraid of what it will mean for the rat hobby. Now I don't think it will change anything but we never known.



Also some are saying the CDC is doing free testing right now but there is alot of conflicting reports on if it is true or how they test.... some are saying they just kill your rats some are saying they don't. I'm not sure what is true. I personally would just do the testing myself its $11 lol


There is also a huge difference between panicing and being concered and taking things seriously. I have seen little panic. Most breeders are just being responsible & ethical. I do not believe I have any worry that this affects me or my rats. But I am still temporarily closed and testing because it is the right thing to do. I have a commitment to my rats and to the public to only sell healthy rats.


Wait... to test it you have to either prick the base of the tail (which I understand) or over trim a nail? I don't get the nail part. That bleeds a LOT. Like... a REAL lot. I just had an incident with Guy the other week and in a matter of seconds my bathroom looked like a murder scene. I thought he was going to die.
You can use one of those things which I can't remember what it is called that stops the bleeding when you trim pet nails, afterwards.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Plus for a person to die from it she/he would have to have such a depressed immune system that likely the common flu or any of the millions of different viruses out there would get that person first. My point is nothing out of the ordinary here. I bet that virus has been in the US and pet rats for decades and no one ever noticed anything at all because no one got sick so far.
 
#28 · (Edited)
Wait... to test it you have to either prick the base of the tail (which I understand) or over trim a nail? I don't get the nail part. That bleeds a LOT. Like... a REAL lot. I just had an incident with Guy the other week and in a matter of seconds my bathroom looked like a murder scene. I thought he was going to die.

I'd opt for the tail. Gosh our ratties don't deserve this.

Edited to add: I live in Southeast Wisconsin. I called my doctor on Monday and explained the situation. His nurse asked me a couple questions and then opted not to test me though told me not to get any more rats until this blows over and to use safety precautions.
 
#30 ·
I read more about the virus. It gets airborne when stuff like litter is moved around or when someone clean/vacuum the floor where infected rats have been hanging around...Most of wild rats (some sources say up to 90%) have it. They ALWAYS had it, I repeat, they ALWAYS HAD IT. The ONLY thing new is that you didn't know about it before. Ok now all rat mills have had some wild rats around at some point for sure, meaning that most likely all pet store rats always had it and no one got sick from it ever. Everyone ever visiting a pet store might have brought it back home too, infecting their rats. And none of those millions of people who got exposed to it ever got sick from it. So let's not run around like headless chickens, please. All commercial storage/ manufacture facilities where ALL the stuff you buy in supermarkets, or online...have been stored at some point; All the warehouses where the mails is stored before being shipped off to someplace else...have had rat infections. How many people work in those facilities? 10's of millions A YEAR in the US alone; yet no one EVER got sick from it. So really please stop the madness now. That state of total irrational panic will only have one outcome: thousands of pet rats ending in shelters and being killed for absolutely nothing whether they are infected or not. Not to mention all those sweet rats killed because their breeders got unnecessarily scared and irrational.
 
#31 · (Edited)
You're missing the point, it doesn't matter if rats have always had it or not I'm not going to argue that because I dont personally know. The point is the CDC has their eyes on the rat fancy and is killing rats. People are scared more of the CDC then the virus itself because they're a powerful organization and could really affect the rat hobby if they wanted to. I'm pretty sure people are more worried about their rats being taken and killed then getting sick. I was just talking with another rat owner who is a really good friend and we were expressing our worry if this is widespread that the media will blow the situation up and rats dont need more stigma towards them then they already have.

Once again since moonkissed has tried to tell you to. People are worried about their rats. Not about getting sick.
We also cant just 'stop' the CDC is investigating and you cant just tell the CDC "Hey this isn't as serious as you think" because if they feel it's serious they're going to investigate regardless.
 
#34 ·
So let's not run around like headless chickens, please.
I do not see anyone doing that?

I feel like you are getting very upset over this. I'm not sure why. We all have our own choices to make. But people are just trying to share information about what is going on and let people be informed.

If it was everywhere then I think it would have come up before :) It is definitely not something that is just everywhere and no one has noticed lol I don't think the CDC would be involved if that is true.
The UK also went through an outbreak Ithink in 2012... its definitely a rare thing to pop up in pet rats.

It surely is not black or white, all or nothing. I don't understand that attitude. Is it something we should take notice of? Yes. Should we take it seriously? Yes. Should be have mass panic? No. People are able to take precautions be smart and not go insane with panic. Atleast I am lol
I do suggest not buying rats until the CDC investigation is over with so we can see how wide spread it is. Let them do their thing. I do suggest all breeders should test their rats. If you are a pet owner and not in those states you likely have nothing to worry about. That doesn't mean they shouldn't take notice. Just be aware.

A woman did get sick. I believe she said she spent a week(I think, talked to too many people I could be mistaken on the time lol) in the hospital & then lost all of her rats as well as some other pets I won't mention. It is kindof a big deal to her. She didnt have a choice in it either. She begged and pleaded for help to get the CDC not to do this. They did it anyways.

I do have good news though. It seems like the CDC is working with the testing company Idexx to see if their tests are compatible & showing the same results. If so they may allow the tests we have done to count and won't require euthanizing rats to test!! *fingers crossed* I know several other breeders involved who sent away their tests and this could save their rats.

Not to mention all those sweet rats killed because their breeders got unnecessarily scared and irrational.
I don't understand what you mean by this? No one is going to go around killing uninfected rats. No one is panicking and killing rats or anything. Do you believe breeders are fine selling infected rats?

I'm not sure what to say about that.... Idk as a breeder I pride myself on my ethics. I couldn't ethically do that.
 
#37 ·
Sometimes information-sharing can look like panicking. I don't see anyone panicking in this thread, but I can see how my own earlier post might have been viewed that way. Here's what I said:

I live in MN and was wondering what my level of concern should be. We got our rats in October. So, I assume we'd know by now if someone in our household was going to get sick. I read this today, "To date, state health officials in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin have been notified that their residents may have infected rats." https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/han00400.asp
Now, I wasn't panicking, but I do like a lot of information. And one of the ways I process information is to talk with others about it. So, I posted here, and I've been following the conversation.

By way of update, I contacted the "breeder" we got our rats from (breeder is in quotes because I don't believe it was the best breeding situation, and I wouldn't recommend her...but anyway...), and she said:

No worries here, all the infected rats are traced at coming from the same breeder who also housed wild rats who spread the virus. I typically dont take in outside animals. I am being vigilant about the situation but luckly the risk doesnt seem to high right now.
Can anyone verify this? And how are breeders getting their information? Are you talking directly with the CDC?
 
#38 ·
There is ALOT of misinformation being shared. People just make stuff up and share it as if it were fact.
And on top of it alot of people have been attacking the breeders involved, some of which just received sick rats.

At this very moment in time, no one has released the source of where it came from or how. It would make sense that it came from wild rats but was it a situation of someone taking in wild rats or having them in their home or them in turn getting it from someone else? IDK...

This is hopefully a good giant warning sign that people need to leave wild animals alone. The amount of posts I see where people catch wild rats is absurd.


Can anyone verify this? And how are breeders getting their information? Are you talking directly with the CDC?

In a few breeder groups we are all sharing information and discussing it. It has actually been, for the most part, really amazing how everyone has come together.
A few of the breeders directly involved have shared all of the info as they have gotten it, what the CDC has told them, etc...
A few other breeders have directly reached out to the CDC & Idexx and are sharing info from them. The CDC has a hotline you can call about the virus.
Some breeders contacted the CDC to get their animals tested as well.
 
#42 · (Edited)
At this very moment in time, no one has released the source of where it came from or how. It would make sense that it came from wild rats but was it a situation of someone taking in wild rats or having them in their home or them in turn getting it from someone else? IDK...
Yosemite had an outbreak of hantavirus years ago after people visiting/camping were in contact with deermice by such activities as sleeping on the ground. I suppose with our situation it could have even stemmed from somebody innocently tracking in the virus on their shoes?

In a few breeder groups we are all sharing information and discussing it. It has actually been, for the most part, really amazing how everyone has come together.
A few of the breeders directly involved have shared all of the info as they have gotten it, what the CDC has told them, etc...
A few other breeders have directly reached out to the CDC & Idexx and are sharing info from them. The CDC has a hotline you can call about the virus.
Some breeders contacted the CDC to get their animals tested as well.
This sounds very encouraging. I think it's a testament to the professionalism and dedication to the bigger picture of the rodent fancy for these breeders to work freely with the CDC. Hopefully this collaboration will speed up the investigation. Thanks for sharing this info with us too!
 
#39 ·
I'm not a breeder but I recently purchased some rats from someone about a week ago. They said that they didn't purchase any infected rats but I wanted some peace of mind about me and my rat's safety. Would it be better to get myself tested or to get my rats tested?
 
#48 ·
Only get your rats tested if you are ok with them being killed. Don't believe for a second that they will come and kill only 1 infected rat. They will come and kill all of them. As a rat parent, I won't take the risk- I love my rats. Again it has been blown out of proportion, even if your rats are infected nothing will happen to you- you are not even going to get any symptoms or whatnot.
 
#61 ·
Speaking as an outsider (not living in the US so no direct threat to me by this virus and no emotional bias)
Doesnt sound like anyone here is 'OK' with having their rats killed? What a really weird thing to say.
And 'youre not going to get any symptoms'? How did the CDC find out that this virus was infecting people? The first article posted says PEOPLE got sick, which led to the CDC finding out that the source of the sickness was their rats. So OBVIOUSLY people are getting infected with the virus and showing symptoms, because you cant get visibly sick enough to have to go to the hospital, unless you have SYMPTOMS.

No one who wants to get their rats tested is 'OK' with their rats getting put down. Its all about doing the 'right thing' so that the virus outbreak can be contained. If an individual is a carrier of a virus, and does not get treated/eliminated, the virus spreads, infecting other individuals. That is how an outbreak occurs. If your rats are carriers but you only think of yourself and not see the bigger picture by not getting them tested, you may spread the virus to others in the community. Is it OK to be the reason that tens/hundreds of fellow rat owners to have to go through with losing their rats, as long as you get to keep your rats? To me that is pretty **** selfish. As others have pointed out, the testing is about ethics, not about whether youre ok with your rats being killed.
You talk about people running around like headless chickens and panicking, but all I see is responsible people doing responsible things and sharing helpful information. Sorry to say this but it looks like you're the one who's comments are more likely to be scaremongering while sharing no helpful info. As already mentioned, you do seem to be very strangely upset about the sharing of information between others on this topic...

To others, I hope this blows over quickly and hope all your rats will be safe :( Sounds like a very difficult time
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top