AFRMA - Medical - Contagions Between Mice And Rats

This article is from the WSSF 2012 AFRMA Rat & Mouse Tales news-magazine.

Medical

Contagions Between Mice And Rats

Sariah Lily Jones, Facebook
QAre there any contagions transferrable between mice and rats or am I being overly cautious quarantining my new rats from my mouse?

AWhile most viruses and bacteria are species specific, there are a few that both rats and mice can get, so quarantining is always a good thing. Also, some parasites can be transferred between species.

Read more on these pages:
www.afrma.org/rmindexhealth.htm#medvirus
www.afrma.org/rmindexhealth.htm#medresp
www.afrma.org/rmindexhealth.htm#medbugs
And in these articles:
“Quarantining”
“Quarantining Part:2, Introducing New Animals to Your Colony”

Karen Robbins

Following are tables on Ectoparasites, Endoparasites, and Viruses and Bacteria found in rats and mice.

Common Ectoparasites (outside)

Type	Name	Common Name	Rat	Mouse	Site
M	Demodex spp. D. musculi (mice)	mange	+	+	fur, follicle
F	Dermatophytes	ringworm	+	+	body
L	Hoplopleura pacifica	rat lice	+	-	fur
M	Myobia musculi	fur mite	-	+	fur
M	Myocoptes musculinus	fur mite	-	+	fur
M	Notoedres muris	ear mange mite	+	-	fur, ear
M	Ornithonyssus bacoti	O. bacoti blood-sucking mite, tropical rat mite, Mesostigmatid mite	+	+	fur
L	Polyplax spinulosa	rat lice	+	-	fur
L	Polyplax serrata	lice	-	+	fur
M	Psorergates simples	follicle mite	-	+	follicle
M	Radfordia affinis	mouse fur mite	-	+	fur
M	Radfordia ensifera	rat fur mite	+	-	fur
M	Trichoecius romboutsi	mouse fur mite	-	+	fur
Type=F (fungus), L (lice), M (mite)

Common Endoparasites (inside)

Type	Name	Common Name	Rat	Mouse	Site
N	Aspicularis tetraptera	mouse pinworm	-	+	Large intestine
P	Chilomastix bettencorti	C. bettencorti	+	+	Cecum, colon
C	Cryptosporidium muris; Cryptosporidium parvum	C. muris; C. parvum; Sporozoans	+	+	Stomach; small intestine
C	Eimeria falciformis; Eimeria hansonorum; Eimeria ferrisi	Enteric Coccidia	-	+	Small intestine; cecum; small intestine
C	Eimeria nieschlzi; Eimera seperata	Enteric Coccidia	+	-	Small intestine; cecum, colon
A	Entamoeba muris	E. muris, Mouse Sarcodines	+	+	Large intestine
P	Giardia muris	G. muris, Giardia	+	+	Small Intestine
T	Hymenolepis nana/Rodentolepis nana	dwarf tapeworm	+	+	Small Intestine
C	Klossiella muris	coccidia	-	+	Kidney
P	Spironucleus muris	S. muris	+	+	Small Intestine
N	Syphacia muris	rat pinworm	+	-	Large intestine
N	Syphacia obvelata	mouse pinworm	-	+	Large intestine
T	Taenia taeniaformis	cat tapeworm	+	+	Liver
P	Tritrichomonas muris	T. muris	+	+	Large intestine
N	Trichosomoides crassicauda	rat bladder threadworm	+	-	Bladder
Type=A (amoeba), C (coccidia), N (nematode), P (protozoan), T (tapeworm)

See the next table for “Table of Rat and Mouse Viruses and Bacteria A–Z” (Dr. Booth’s note: some names may have changed, DNA has been sequenced)

Table Of Rat and Mouse Viruses and Bacteria A–Z

Type	Name	Abbrev./Common Name	Rat	Mouse	System Involved
D	Adenovirus, Mouse adenovirus	MAd-1/MAD1, MAd-2/MAD2, MAV	+	+	Respiratory, Digestive
B	Bacillus piliformis now known as Clostridium piliforme	Tyzzer’s Disease	+	+	Digestive
B	Bordetella bronchiseptica	B. bronchiseptica	+	+	Respiratory
B	Chlamydia psittaci	C. psittaci	-	+	Respiratory
B	Chlamydia trachomatis	C. trachomatis	-	+	Respiratory
B	Cilia-Associated Respiratory Bacillus	CAR/CAR bacillus/CARB; usually with M. pulmonis infection	+	-	Respiratory
B	Citrobacter freundii (Biotype 4280)	C. freundii	-	+	Digestive
B	Citrobacter rodentium	C. rodentium	-	+	Digestive
B	Clostridium perfringers type D (mice)	Enterotoxemia	-	+	Digestive
B	Clostridium piliforme (Tyzzer’s Disease)	CPIL, TYZ/Tyzzer/Tyzzer’s Disease	+	+	Digestive
B	Corynebacterium kutscheri	C. kutscheri, Pseudotuberculosis	+	+	Respiratory, Skin/Joint
D	Ectromelia Virus (mouse pox)	Ect/ECTRO, mouse pox, ectromelia	-	+	Skin/Joint
B	Encephalitozoon cuniculi	E. cuniculi, E. Cun.	+	+	CNS
B	Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli	EPEC	-	+	Digestive
B	Eperythrozoon coccoides	E. coccoides	-	+	Blood
D	H-1 Virus	H-1, Toolans’ H-1	+	-	Multiple
B	Haemobartonella muris	H. muris	+	-	Blood parasite
R	Hantaviruses	Han., Hantavirus, Hantaan Virus	+	+/-	Multiple
B	Helicobacter spp.	Helicobacter spp.	+	+	Digestive
	Infectious Diarrhea of Infant Rats	IDIR	+	-	Digestive
D	K Virus, Mouse pneumonitis virus	K Virus, K	-	+	Respiratory
D	Kilham Rat Virus	KRV	+	-	Multiple
B	Klebsiella oxytoca	K. oxytoca	-	+	Respiratory, Urogenital
B	Klebsiella pneumoniae	K. pneumoniae	+	+	Respiratory
R	Lactic Dehydrogenase-Elevating Virus	LDV, LDEV	-	+	Blood
B	Leptospira interrogans serovar ballum	L. interrogans serovar ballum	-	+	Urogenital
R	Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus	LCMV, LCM	+	+	CNS, Blood
D	Minute Virus of Mice	MVM (MMV)	-	+	Multiple
D	Mouse cytomegalovirus	MCMV	-	+	Digestive
R	Mouse Encephalomyelitis Virus	Theilovirus, TMEV	-	+	CNS
R	Mouse Hepatitis Virus	MHV	-	+	Respiratory, Digestive
R	Mouse mammary tumor viruses	MMTV	-	+	Skin/Joint
?	Mouse papule virus (similar to mousepox)		-	+	Skin/Joint
D	Mouse parvovirus (was mouse orphan parvovirus)	MPV	-	+	Digestive
R	Mouse Poliomyelitis Virus	M. Polio	-	+	CNS
R	Mouse rotavirus (Epidemic Diarrhea of Infant Mice/Epizootic Diarrhea of Infant Mice EDIM)	MRV, EDIM	-	+	Digestive
D	Mouse Thymic Necrosis Virus/Mouse Thymic Virus (a herpes virus)	MTV, MTLV; Thymic Virus	-	+	Digestive, respiratory
R	Murine Leukemia Viruses	MuLVs	-	+	Blood
R	Murine norovirus; Mouse norovirus	MNV	-	+	Digestive
B	Mycohaterium avium-intracellulare	M. avium-intracellulare	-	+	Respiratory
B	Mycoplasma arthritidis	M. arthritidis	+	+	Skin/Joint
B	Mycoplasma collis	M. collis	+	+	Respiratory
B	Mycoplasma muris	M. muris	-	+	Urogenital
B	Mycoplasma neurolyticum	M. neurolyticum	-	+	Respiratory
B	Mycoplasma pulmonis	M. pulmonis, CRD (Chronic Respiratory Disease)	+	+	Respiratory
B	Pasteurella pneumotropica	P. pneumotropica	+	+	Respiratory, Skin/Joint
F	Pneumocystis carinii (was Rat Respiratory Virus)	P. carinii	+	-	Respiratory
F	Pneumocystis wakefieldiae (was Rat Respiratory Virus)	P. wakefieldiae	+	-	Respiratory
F	Pneumocystis murina (was Rat Respiratory Virus)	P. murina	-	+	Respiratory
R	Pneumonia Virus of Mice	PVM	+	+	Respiratory
D	Polyoma Virus, Polyomavirus, mouse polyoma virus	Polyoma, Poly, K virus	-	+	Multiple
D	Poxvirus	Poxvirus	+	-	Skin/Joint
B	Pseudomonas Pseudomonas aeruginosa	P. aeruginosa	+	+	Digestive
R	Rat Coronavirus (a strain of sialodacryoadenitis virus)	RCV	+	-	Respiratory
D	Rat Minute Virus	RMV 1a, 1b, 1c	+	-	Multiple
D	Rat Parvovirus 1 and 2	RPV-1, RPV-2	+	-	Multiple
R	Rat rotavirus-like agent	RVLA	+	-	Digestive
R	Rat theilovirus	RTV, RTV1	+	-	CNS
R	Reovirus-3	Reo 3	+	+	Digestive
D	Rodent Adenovirus	R. Adeno	+	+	Respiratory
D	Rodent cytomegaloviruses	MCMV	+	+	Multiple
B	Salmonella Salmonella enteritidis	S. enteritidis	+	+	Digestive
R	Sendai Virus	SEN, Sendai, SV	+	+	Respiratory
R	Sialodacryoadenitis virus	SDAV	+	-	Respiratory
B	Spironucleus muris	S. muris	+	+	Digestive
B	Staphylococcus aureus	Ulcerative dermatitis	+	+	Skin/Joint
B	Staphylococcus xylosus	Ulcerative dermatitis	+	-	Skin/Joint
B	Streptobacillus moniliformis	S. moniliformis, Rat Bite Fever/Haverhill Fever	+	-	Skin/Joint
B	Streptococcus spp. Pneumoniae in rats, types A & D in mice	S. pneumoniae	+	+	Respiratory
B	Streptococcus pyogenes	S. pyogenes	-	+	Respiratory
R	Theiler’s Mouse Encephalomyelitis or GD7, Theiler's Virus	TMEV (GDVII)	+	+	CNS
Type=B (bacteria), D (DNA Virus), F (fungus), R (RNA Virus) System=CNS (Central Nervous System) Light blue highlighted rows are infectious agents commonly tested for

References/For More information:

Infectious Diseases of Mice and Rats
Companion Guide to Infectious Diseases of Mice and Rats
The Merck Veterinary Manual: Mice and Rats as Laboratory Animals
Diseases of Research Animals (DORA): Rats
Diseases of Research Animals (DORA): Mice
Laboratory Animal Medicine, Second Edition (American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine), edited by James G. Fox, Lynn C. Anderson, Franklin M. Loew, Fred W. Quimby
The Laboratory Rat, Second Edition (American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine), edited by Mark A. Suckow, Steven H. Weisbroth, Craig L. Franklin
IDEXX - Individual Serological Tests

Updated April 14, 2025