Seroepidemiology of Hantavirus in the Philippines

Objective: This study was undertaken to determine the seroepidemiology of Hantavirus infection in the Philippines. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study done in asymptomatic volunteers from various communities in the Philippines selected by a stratified multistage sampling design. Antibody to Hantavirus was detected by particle agglutination (PA) test using Hantadia high-density particle agglutination (HDPA) reagent kit. Results: The prevalence of positive Hantavirus antibody among 461 subjects was the same in both males (6.1 %) and females (6.1 %) in rural (7.6%), urban (5.6%), and urban poor (5.1 %) populations. Conclusions: The prevalence of Hantavirus infection in the Filipino population is comparable to that seen in other developing countries. The HDPA can be conveniently used as a rapid tool to detect the Hantavirus antibody for seroepidemiologic and diagnostic purposes.