2024-04-19 00:34:00
A group of researchers has discovered that the feces of house mice in New York City are teeming with unknown bacteria and viruses capable of causing fever and even life-threatening gastrointestinal illnesses in humans.
In the report “Of Mice and Disease: Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Discovered in NYC Mice,” scientists at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health warn that house mice in the city have several genes that allow antimicrobial resistance to antibiotics.
For his part, the mayor of New York, Eric Adams, referred to the worrying increase in the number of cases of leptospirosis among his citizens, largely associated with exposure to environments and materials contaminated with rat urine, which last year They shot at their highest level.
“Not only are rodents unsightly and can traumatize your day, but they also pose real health crises. These are linked to the issue of rats. “It’s a real problem,” he said during a press conference.
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Comparatively, the average number of cases between 2021 and 2023 was 15 per year and, between 2001 and 2020, the city had an average of only three cases annually. “This year, six cases have been reported until April 10,” health authorities indicated.
The researchers analyzed the feces of 416 mice captured over a year in New York City apartments in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx.
New York health officials explain that the proliferation of leptospirosis is often due to bags of garbage left on the sidewalks. Local cases have been related to exposure to rat urine or environments and materials contaminated with it; for example, when handling bags containing waste. Infected animals excrete bacteria in their urine that can persist in warm, humid environments for weeks and enter the body through open wounds or mucous membranes. “Transmission from person to person is rare,” they point out.
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