Spatial Clustering of Murid Rodents Infected with Hantaviruses: Implications from Meta-Analyses

We applied a rigorous, quantitative methodology to the analysis of local-scale spatial clustering of multiple murid mice (brush mice, Peromyscus boylii; deer mice, P. maniculatus; piñon mice, P. truei; western harvest mice, Reithrodontomys megalotis) infected or uninfected with hantaviruses. Rodents were sampled longitudinally from 1994 to 2001 on 23 trapping webs at 10 locations in the southwestern United States. This study provided an opportunity to apply meta-analysis techniques to an important ecological question. There were sufficient captures by species on 199 occasions (three consecutive nights) to compare general use of space using multi-response permutation procedures (MRPP). The MRPP results were then used in meta-analyses by species to determine if overall effects of spatial clustering of hantavirus-infected mice as well as categorical effects (elevation, season, site, and state) were present. Based on MRPP analyses, overall spatial clustering of hantavirus-infected mice was most pronounced for brush mice, followed by the deer mouse. Meta-analyses indicated significant overall effects of spatial clustering and varying categorical effects (elevation, season, site, state) of infected mice for each species compared. The overlapping space use by rodents might be an important factor affecting the local transmission of several hantaviruses.