Hantavirus RNA not detected in Ixodes ricinus ticks

A total of 174 unfed Ixodes ricinus ticks (104 nymphs, 36 males, and 34 females) collected in the Roztocze National Park in eastern Poland were examined by the PCR and nested PCR methods for the presence of hantavirus RNA. None of the examined Ixodes ricinus specimens showed the presence of the hantavirus-specific RNA, in spite of using 2 genetic markers and the clearly positive results obtained with the positive control. Thus, a hypothesis about the possible participation of ticks in the transmission of hantaviruses, has so far not been confirmed.