Dual captures of Colorado rodents: Implications for transmission of hantaviruses

We analyzed dual-capture data collected during longitudinal studies monitor ing transmission and persistence of Sin Nombre virus in rodents in Colorado . Our data indicate that multiple captures (two or more rodents captured in a single trap) may not be random, as indicated in previous studies, but ra ther the result of underlying, species-specific social behavior or cohesive ness. In the pairs we captured, most often, rodents were of the same specie s, were male, and could be recaptured as pairs. Therefore, dual captures of rodents, which are unusual but not rare, tend to occur among certain speci es, and appear to be nonrandom, group-foraging encounters. These demographi c and ecologic characteristics may have implications for the study of the t ransmission of hantaviruses.