Hantaviruses may have co-evolved with rodents for ages, helping explain silent spread

What does a hantavirus do inside its rodent hosts? How do these viruses move through animal populations? And how is it that they cause almost no apparent symptoms in rodents, yet can be nearly fatal in humans? Specially Appointed Professor Hiroaki Kariwa has been studying hantaviruses at Hokkaido University for more than 35 years, and these are some of the questions that have driven his research. Over the years, his team has uncovered important insights into the ecology and evolution of hantaviruses, including the discovery of a previously unknown strain, the Hokkaido virus.