“…Several hypotheses, not necessarily mutually exclusive, may be suggested to explain the patterns of maturation and survival we have described. In bank voles, the probability of acquiring PUUV infection has been found to increase with a proxy of age (body weight; Verhagen et al, 1986;Olsson et al, 2002). Hence, within the group of reproductively inactive bank voles, PUUV IgG-positive individuals might be older and, consequently, more likely to mature, or to die, in the near future.…”