Sin Nombre virus (SNV), a hantavirus, can cause severe respiratory illness
and death in humans. The primary carrier is the deer mouse, Peromyscus mani
culatus, but other species of rodents may be infected with the virus. We sc
reened four species of woodrats (Neotoma) for hantavirus using both enzyme-
linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test
s. Woodrats were collected from a variety of habitats in Arizona and Utah.
Only Neotoma lepida tested serologically positive in an ELISA assay for han
tavirus and also contained SNV RNA. Moreover, across three distinct populat
ions of N. lepida, individuals that tested serum positive were restricted t
o one population near Jericho, Utah. The prevalence of hantavirus in this p
opulation was 27% (4 of 15).