(Salt Lake City, UT)  –  Health officials in Utah County say a local resident has contracted a rare virus connected to breeding pet rats.  The unidentified person contracted the Seoul [[ soul ]] virus as part of an outbreak that affected people in 15 states.  The Utah illness was traced back to a rat breeding facility in Wisconsin.  The Utah County Health Department is asking anyone who keeps rats as pets to follow all cleaning precautions to help avoid more outbreaks of the virus.Â