Which rodents carry hantavirus?
Hantaviruses are unusual among RNA viruses in showing strong fidelity to a single reservoir species. Co-evolution over millions of years means each virus has one dominant rodent host, with occasional spillover into related species.
Primary reservoirs by virus
| Virus | Reservoir species | Common name |
|---|---|---|
| Sin Nombre (SNV) | Peromyscus maniculatus | Deer mouse |
| Andes (ANDV) | Oligoryzomys longicaudatus | Long-tailed pygmy rice rat |
| Bayou | Oryzomys palustris | Marsh rice rat |
| Black Creek Canal | Sigmodon hispidus | Hispid cotton rat |
| Choclo | Oligoryzomys fulvescens | Fulvous pygmy rice rat |
| Laguna Negra | Calomys laucha | Small vesper mouse |
| Hantaan (HTNV) | Apodemus agrarius | Striped field mouse |
| Dobrava (DOBV) | Apodemus flavicollis | Yellow-necked mouse |
| Puumala (PUUV) | Myodes glareolus | Bank vole |
| Seoul (SEOV) | Rattus norvegicus | Brown rat |
| Tula | Microtus arvalis | Common vole |
Infected rodents do not become sick — they shed virus chronically in urine, faeces and saliva. Population cycles in the reservoir species (especially boom years following heavy rains and good seed crops) are the strongest predictor of human outbreak years. The "El Niño → mast seeding → Peromyscus boom" pathway is the canonical example, and is widely credited as the trigger of the 1993 Four Corners outbreak.
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