The pygmy rice rat, vector of Andes hantavirus in South America

The long-tailed pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus) is a rodent endemic to Argentina and Chile that constitutes the main natural reservoir of Andes hantavirus. This virus can be transmitted to humans through inhalation of aerosols from the rodent's urine, faeces or secretions, and can then spread from human to human. First identified in 1832, this rodent remained poorly understood until the discovery of the first human case of hantavirus infection in 1995. Ecological studies conducted since have made it possible to better understand the conditions favouring virus transmission to humans.