Mice-Borne Diseases
Posted by Cottontimer on 31 Aug 2006 | Tagged as: Health, London
Smack dab in the middle of the garage floor this afternoon was one dead little grey mouse lying on its side. When I told one of my neighbors about it, she thought I was concerned because of some sort of Chinese superstition. No, not that, I quickly explained. The first thing I thought of was HANTAVIRUS!
Knowing I was probably just over-reacting because of my public health background, I put it out of my mind until I received an email about 13 cases of human plague from the National Association of Science Writers mailing list. A “sign”! Here’s what I dug up about diseases mice can transmit to humans.
From the Backyard Gardener:
The most threatening health issue with mice is their ability to spread Salmonella bacteria in their droppings. This organism is a common cause of food poisoning. Other transmittable organisms are tapeworms, rat-bite fever, infectious jaundice/leptospirosis/ Wiel?s Disease, plague, Hantavirus, and possibly poliomyelitis (polio). Given these potentially life threatening diseases, mice should not be tolerated in your living space.
AUUGGGGHH!!
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But Stuart Little is SO CUTE!
Rodents gross me out. I heard, and haven’t bothered to verify it, that they lack bladders so dribble pee everywhere they scurry. If it’s true, it’s disgusting. If it’s not true, well, rodents are still disgusting.
Though if it’s a rat, and big enough, it might be tasted roasted on a stick over a fire…
How about opossums? Dig that one up for me, Dr. Lei!
And, oh yeah:
/waving hi to Deb!!! We miss you!!!
I, too, am a bit paranoid about mouse born diseases, but the reality is that living where we do, in a partially converted barn, they are a constant factor. I just have to hope that we have generally healthy mice….?
Mice in London though would be more likely to carry stuff? Poison, traps or a cat?
*waves hi back to Christina*
I lurk around
But I don’t scurry!!!
Deb: Sadly, that little mouse was not wearing a suit. hehee And the pee thing is absolutely disgusting although probably not true because they use mice as models for bladder cancer. Thanks for putting that imagery in my mind, though. hahaa And if you’re having rat at your next bbq, I’m not coming!!!
Christina: Here ya go. From UC Davis.
Now aren’t you glad you didn’t keep that baby opossum??
Snowy: Well, it’s hard to say because there are particular diseases that mice are particularly good vectors for. I would be more concerned if I found more dead mice all over the place but just one doesn’t really worry too much.
Bald Man caught a shrew in mom’s basement last week. She is TERRIFIED of rodents. I don’t think I’ve heard her as scared as I did that day on the phone, and she’s endured some scary stuff. But, yeah, rodents are nasty. If they weren’t they’d have a prettier name, like butterflies. (Please don’t tell me butterflies carry disease as well!)
Kerri: SHREW?!?! Not you, I assume. HaHahAHAHAHha I’m so funny.
Hardy, har, Dr. Lei….