What diseases do mice carry? There are many kinds of diseases that Macomb County mice carry that we must be both aware and careful of. Here are the most common kinds:

Bubonic Plague
Though this is not as commonly found in mice than they are in Michigan rats, plague infections are known to occur. Mice (and rats) are just carriers of the fleas that carry the disease and spread in this manner. Any one who catches the plague can die from it within a few days.

The plague is characterized by the following:
• Sudden fever
• Headache
• Chills
• Swollen and usually painful lymph nodes (buboes)

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS)
HPS is another disease carried by mice and is often fatal. People are often infected due to:
• Contact with rodents with HPS
• Urine and/or droppings of rodents with HPS

Studies have identified four specific types of rodents that carry this disease in the US in particular:
• Deer mice
• Cotton rats
• Rice rats
• White-footed mice

Leptospirosis
Also known as Weil's disease, leptospirosis is causes by microorganisms called spirochetes.

Many carries of this disease include:
Mammals (including but not exclusively to mice and even humans)
Reptiles
Amphibians
Birds
It is transmitted through the infected creature's urine or semen when it comes in to contact with another creature's eyes, broken skin, or mucous membranes.

Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis (LCM)
This is a particularly infectious and viral disease carried also by rodents such as mice which includes:
• Aseptic meningitis
• Encephalitis
However, LCM is not reported to be incredibly fatal. Only less than 1% of vicitims of LCM dies from it.

Murine Typhus
Mice transmit this disease through the fleas that they carry. However, it is thankfully treated with a good dose of antibiotics. Though it is known to cause deaeth in the Macomb County elderly and very sickly individuals.

Symptoms include:
• Vomiting
• Fever
• Headaches
• Cough
• Myalgia

Rat-bite Fever
Though usually found in Michigan rats, mice have also been known to carry this disease. May cause death when untreated.

Salmonella
Rats as well as mice are often and frequent carries of salmonella. It is spread to humans and other animals (like family pets) through contact of the rodent's droppings. It causes but not necessarily fatal, bout of gastroenteritis.

Tapeworms
Mice can be hosts of other living organisms and these include tapeworms. These tapeworms can than in some circumstances spread to humans through contaminated food (ie. Dirty hands that came in contact with mouse droppings). The tapeworms can make their way to a person's gut and, lay their eggs and then these eggs hatch, grow and reproduce over and over.

Tularemia Caused by a bacterium (francisella tularensis) and often susceptible in:
• Rabbits
• Hares
• Other rodents (such as mice and rats)

It can infect humans in several ways:
• Tick or deer fly bites
• Skin contact with infected animals
• Ingesting contaminated water
• Inhalation of contaminated dust


To learn more about our services, visit the Macomb County wildlife removal home page.