What is the reservoir for Seoul virus?

• A. Deer mouse
• B. House mouse
• C. Domestic rat/Norway rat
• D. Squirrel

Answer: (C)

Seoul virus is a hantavirus whose reservoir is the Norway rat, the domestic rat we see in urban and indoor settings. These rats carry the virus in their urine, droppings, and saliva, and humans typically become infected by inhaling aerosols contaminated with that material. The link to urban rat populations is why this species is identified as the reservoir. Other rodents are hosts for different hantaviruses (for example, deer mice are the usual reservoir for Sin Nombre virus), so they don’t represent the Seoul virus reservoir.