Abundance of hantavirus hosts in a landscape with black-tailed prairie dog colonies in northwestern Mexico

In order to assess the influence of habitat type on the abundance and distribution of hantavirus reservoir hosts and on the prevalence of hantavirus antibodies, we compared communities of small mammals among three dominant habitats in northwestern Mexico (grassland with prairie dogs colonies, grassland without prairie dogs colonies and mesquite shrubland). Grassland habitats had a very low abundance of hantavirus reservoir hosts (Peromyscus leucopus and P. maniculatus), whereas mesquite shrubland harbored a significantly higher abundance of reservoir hosts. Seropositive hosts were found in mesquite and grassland without prairie dogs (32% overall seroprevalence), but due to the small sample size of hantavirus hosts in grasslands, we could not compare seroprevalence among habitats. Areas with higher abundance of hantavirus hosts can increase the risk of human infections in other systems; therefore, mesquite shrubland may be the habitat that represents the highest risks for human exposure to hantavirus in this area. Given that the black-tailed prairie dog prevents the expansion of mesquite shrubland into grassland habitats, their colonies may indirectly prevent hantavirus host dispersion and expansion throughout this landscape. Future investigations are needed to further understand potential effects of prairie dog colonies on hantavirus epidemiology.