Residents of New York City and most large cities are used to furry rodents scurrying through their apartments or rummaging through garbage on the streets. The mice can be a serious health hazard as they carry bacteria that can be passed onto humans and make them sick.
A new study in New York found that not only do mice carry multiple types of bacteria, some of that bacteria is antibiotic resistant. The research team captured over 400 mice throughout the city and analyzed their stomach contents. They found that 37% of the mice tested positive for various strains of bacteria including Salmonella and E. coli. Even more disturbing, one in four mice tested positive for antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Researchers captured the mice from all over the city, looking in both high and low-income buildings. They said most mice were captured in basements and trash compactor rooms.
W. Ian Lipkin, director of Columbia University's Center for Infection and Immunity warned that he would expect similar findings in other major cities across the globe.
“I would suspect that if you looked in Washington, D.C., or Boston or Toronto, you’d have similar findings.”
A previous study by the team found mice also carry a multitude of viruses, including six that were newly-discovered. Researchers said that none of those viruses are known to cause diseases in humans.
Photo: Getty Images