A Population of the Striped Field Mouse, Apodemus agrarius coreae, in Central Korea

Recent studies of hemorrhagic fever in Korea (Traub et al., 1954) have indicated the striped field mouse, Apodemus agrarius coreae Thomas, as a possible reservoir of the disease. Sviridenko (1944) considered striped field mice to be of epidemiological importance, since they might be symptomless carriers of several experimentally induced diseases, including encephalitis and tularemia. Since little was known about the ecology or population dynamics of the striped field mouse, it was considered that a study of this and associated species might add to the understanding of possible rodent reservoirs of hemorrhagic fever and other diseases. In January 1954, an area near the present demilitarized zone was selected for study. This area was in the known endemic zone of hemorrhagic fever, and a number of cases had occurred in military units in this region every year since 1951. Late January and early February were devoted to preparing the...