Serological Evidence for Zoonotic Hantaviruses in North Carolina Rodents

In a survey of seven species of wild rodents (n = 423) collected between October 1993 and March 1994 from the three principal ecological biomes of North Carolina (USA), we found hantavirus antibodies in seven (2%) of 301 Peromyscus spp. Hantavirus antibodies were detected in P. leucopus and P. maniculatus captured from mountain and coastal island biomes. Three mice were positive for Sin Nombre virus, while four others had antibodies to Seoul virus or a related agent. Two mice serologically positive for Sin Nombre virus were collected from inside a private mountain domicile. We conclude that the risk of human exposure to hantaviruses in North Carolina resembles that for most other areas of the continental United States.