ASSESSMENT OF HANTAVIRUS AND ARENAVIRUS ANTIBODY PREVALENCE AND ASSOCIATED RODENT SPECIES IN DICKENS COUNTY, TEXAS

A trapping program was implemented to sample rodents seasonally in Dickens County, Texas, from June 2008 to April 2009. A total of 292 rodents were collected using live traps (trapping success rate = 20.2%). Blood samples collected from the specimens were tested for evidence of IgG antibodies to New World hantaviruses and arenaviruses. A total of 30 individuals (10.3% of captured rodents) from four species, spanning three genera, tested positive for viral antibodies. Twenty-one individuals (7.2% of captured rodents) tested positive for hantavirus IgG antibodies, and nine individuals (3.1% of captured rodents) tested positive for arenavirus IgG antibodies. A statistically significant, nonrandom distribution of antibody positive rodents was observed between trapping localities.