Hantaan virus, the etiologic agent of Korean hemorrhagic fever (KHF), was discovered from lungs of the Korean striped field mice (Apodemus agrarius coreae) by Lee and Lee in 1976. Since that time, the natural reservoirs of Hantavirus, a new genus name in which four serotypes of Hantaan and related virus, have been demonstrated to be wild rodents such as Apodemus, Microtus, and Chlethrionomys
mice, and rats.
This is the result of survey on the field status of infection of field mice with Hantaan virus among rodents collected in the different areas in where KHF patients had occured in 1983.
1. The ratio of seropositive Apodemus mice against Hantaan virus captured in locus A in Gyunnam-Myeon, Yeonchun-Kun, Kyunggi Province was about 49% and the ratio of antigen positive was about 38%. The ratios of seropositive and antigen positive Apodumus mice captured in locus B in Gyunnam-Myeon, were about 19% and 13%, respectively.
2. The ratio of seropositive and antigen positive Apodemus mice captured in Baekdal-Ri, Heongsung-Kun, Kangwon Province were about 16% and 8%, respectively.
3. Hantaan viral antigen was always detectable among lungs of seropositive Apodemus mice to Hantaan virus.
4. The antibodies against Hantaan virus were demonstrated in serum from a Chlethrionomys mouse in Korea for the first time.
5. Eight strains of Hantaan virus were isolated from lungs of Apodemus mice and in Vero E6 cells and
the cell line was proved to be the most promising detector system for isolation of the virus.
It was demonstrated that the possibility of a role of Chlethrionomys mice as a reservoir of Hantaan virus in Korea and being able to isolate Hantaan virus without difficulty by using Vero E6 cell culture as a detector.
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