Serologic Survey of Oklahoma Rodents: Evidence for the Presence of a Hantavirus and an Arenavirus

We conducted a statewide survey of Oklahoma small mammals to test for antibodies against rodent-borne viral diseases. Four rodent species had antibody to Sin Nombre virus (SNV), the primary causative agent of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), and two species had antibody to Whitewater Arroyo virus, an arenavirus associated with human fatalities. The rodent reservoirs for other HPScausing North American hantaviruses also occur within the state. This 13-month seroepidemiologic survey assayed 26 species of small mammals belonging to 14 genera collected from 14 locales in 8 of the 9 major physiognomic regions of Oklahoma. Of 686 captures, 5.25% were SNV-seropositive. The SNV-seropositive species were Peromyscus maniculatus, P. gossypinus, P. leucopus, and Sigmodon hispidus. Of the peromyscines, 8.4% of captures were SNV-seropositive. Four localities exhibited two or more seropositive species. We found high capture and SNV-seropositive rates for the white-footed mouse, P. leucopus: 25% of all captures, 67.7% of all peromyscine captures, and 44.4% of all seropositive individuals. P. leucopus has been associated with HPS cases caused by New York hantavirus and by Monongahela hantavirus in Pennsylvania. Health professionals and those at risk for occupational exposure should be aware that pathogenic rodent-borne viruses occur within the state. © 2001 Oklahoma Academy of Science1