Hantavirus in Thai Rodents

A serological survey has been carried out to detect evidence of hantavirus infection in rodents from two provinces of Thailand. This study aimed to examine virus antibody in 354 rodents trapped among 6 different villages of Nakhon Pathom Province (February-March, 1998) and in 326 rodents trapped among 14 villages of Nakhon Ratchasima Province (August-October, 1998). Seroprevalence among rodents from Nakhon Pathom Province (2.3%), was mostly find in Rattus norvegicus (3.8%) and Bandicota indica (2.6%). In Nakhon Ratchasima Province seroprevalence (4.0%) was mostly in Bandicota indica (19.1%) and Rattus exulans (3.5%). SOUTHEAST ASIAN J TROP MED PUBLIC HEALTH Vol 31 No. 2 June 2000 278 are classified as urban area, municipal area, agricultural area (rice and sugar cane fields) and animal farms (especially pigs). The population size of Nakhon Pathom Province in 1997 was 753,599 persons. Nakhon Ratchasima Province with population of 2,510,839 as of 1997 (20,493.964 km) is located in the north eastern part of Bangkok metropolitan area (14o 38 ́N; 1002o 26 ́E) (Fig 2). The geographical characteristics are classified as urban area, municipal area, agricultural area (mostly rice, corn fields and sugar cane fields).