Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health

Preliminary serological investigations were prefered to detect evidence of arenavirus infection in rodents.The study examined virus antibody in 367 rodents trapped in 6 different geographical areas of Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand from February-March, 1998. The overall seroprevalence among rodents was 13.3%, mostly in Bandicota savilei (35.7%) and Rattus norvegicus (31.5%). Between ecology, behavior and sex of the rodents, seroprevalence was not significantly different (p>0.05), however the seroprevalence found among different geographical areas of Nakhon Pathom Province were significantly different (p<0.0001). ARENAVIRUS IN RODENT Vol 31 No. 1 March 2000 63 classified as urban area, municipal area, agricultural area (mostly rice fields and sugar cane) and animal farms (especially pigs). The population of Nakhon Pathom Province in 1997 was 753,599. The population density is high in the urban and municipal areas.