Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 77 (2): 251-256, 2004
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Hantavirus in rodents of the VIII Region of Chile
The Eight Region has the second highest number of cases of Hantavirus
Cardiopulmonary Syndrome (HCPS) in humans for Chile. A study was performed to identify the number of rodents serologically
positive to hantavirus and their local distribution in this region. To achieve this goal, we sampled eleven sites in the four provinces of the
region. Seven rodents species were collected, with Abrothrix olivaceus presenting the largest number of captures
followed by Oligoryzomys longicaudatus. Of the 300 rodents analyzed, five (1.66 %) were sero-positives to hantavirus and
belonged to three different sigmodontine species: Abrothrix longipilis, O. longicaudatus, and
Loxodontomys micropus. No previous records of seropositive L. micropus existed.
Key words:
Hantavirus, Oligoryzomys longicaudatus, Eight Region, Chile, serology
