Which Medical Conditions Are Most Commonly Associated With House Mouse Infestations

The house mouse is easily the most common rodent pest within homes, garages, sheds, urban buildings, barns and other structures. House mice are well adapted to living alongside humans, as they have been doing so for thousands of years. By virtue of their adaptation to human environments, house mice are able to spread a variety of bacterial, viral and parasitic diseases to humans.

The house mouse is significantly smaller than the Norway rat, and an adult house mouse can be distinguished from a young rat by its smaller head and feet. The house mouse is largely grey with the exception of its white belly, but their presence within an infested home is often first noticed when residents encounter their ⅛ to ¼ of an inch long fecal pellets that are pointed at each end. It is not surprising that house mouse fecal pellets are usually found in abundance within infested homes, as one single mouse produces around 50 droppings daily.

Other signs of an indoor house mouse infestation include gnaw marks on plaster, wood, plastic, food packages and furniture. It is also common to find footprints along trim where walls meet flooring, and these tracks reflect the rodent’s four toes on their front feet and five toes on their back feet. While traveling along “runways” at night, house mice tend to smear dirt and filth along the trim at the base of walls.

Numerous medical conditions are associated with house mouse infestations, most notably Salmonella. Salmonella bacteria is spread through house mouse droppings, which are often found in stored food items that the pests have invaded. Other medical conditions associated with house mouse infestations include rat-bite fever, tapeworms, infectious jaundice, leptospirosis, Hantavirus, possibly polio, and even the plague. However, Salmonella food poisoning is the most threatening rodent-related disease facing residents of New York state.

Have you ever encountered house mouse droppings in your home?