House Mouse

The house mouse is the most commonly encountered and economically important of the commensal rodents, the Norway and roof/black rats being the other two. House mice are not only a nusance, damage/destroy materials by gnawing, and eat and contaminate stored food, they are also of human health importance as disease carriers or vectors. It is thought to be of Central Asian origin, but in now of worldwide distribution and found throughout the United States.

The most threatening organism spread by mice is Salmonella, a cause of food poisoning, spread via droppings. Other transmittable organisms include tapeworms via droppings, rat-bite fever via bites, infectious jaundice/leptospirosis/Weil's Disease via urine in food or water, a fungus disease of the scalp either by direct contact of indirectly via cats, plague and murine typhus via fleas, Rickettsial pos via the mite Lyponyssoides sanguineus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis via droppings.

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