SEROLOGICAL EVIDENCE FOR ZOONOTIC HANTAVIRUSES IN NORTH-CAROLINA RODENTS

In a survey of seven species of wild rodents (n = 423) collected betwe en October 1993 and March 1994 from the three principal ecological bio mes of North Carolina (USA), we found hantavirus antibodies in seven ( 2%) of 301 Peromyscus spp. Hantavirus antibodies were detected in P. l eucopus and P. maniculatus captured from mountain and coastal island b iomes. Three mice were positive for Sin Nombre virus, while four other s had antibodies to Seoul virus or a related agent. Two mice serologic ally positive for Sin Nombre virus were collected from inside a privat e mountain domicile. We conclude that the risk of human exposure to ha ntaviruses in North Carolina resembles that for most other areas of th e continental United States.