The risk of rats carrying new pathogens and strains in New York

Several new strains of viruses and many potentially dangerous human pathogens have been found in mice living in buildings and residential areas in New York City.

The mice here also carry many different strains of viruses.

In a study published in the American Journal of Microbiology on April 17, scientists studied 416 predominantly mice living in residential buildings at 7 locations in New York City in 13. last month to assess the possibility of these animals carrying dangerous pathogens.

The results showed that they all carry a variety of pathogenic bacteria, including dysentery, salmonella causing intestinal infections, bacteria that cause tetanus and leptospira.

People with these diseases may have fever and stomach pain. Research has also shown that some bacteria are resistant to common antibiotics.

In addition to pathogenic bacteria, these mice also carry 36 strains of viruses, most of which have not been recorded in mice before.

It is estimated that the number of rats in New York ranges from 250,000 to millions of mice. Last year, the city government spent more than $ 30 million to deal with this dangerous rodent.