juliegee Posted November 1, 2009 Report Share Posted November 1, 2009 There's been lots of chatter here recently about the potential role that the retrovirus, XMRV may play re. CFS/OI. I read that the virus was originally specific to mice and somehow passed to humans. It got me thinking... As a child, I did keep mice as pets. I pet them and played with them & even broke up a few fights in which I was viciously bitten. Anybody else? Or did you work with them in a laboratory setting? Or have you ever, even for a short time, lived in a dwelling with mice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futurehope Posted November 1, 2009 Report Share Posted November 1, 2009 We had mice as pets for our 2 girls. We had them for about 6 months, I guess. The girls played with them far more than I did. The girls are both fine.If what you are thinking is true, wouldn't we see more laboratory personnel affected? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliegee Posted November 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2009 We had mice as pets for our 2 girls. We had them for about 6 months, I guess. The girls played with them far more than I did. The girls are both fine.If what you are thinking is true, wouldn't we see more laboratory personnel affected?LOL. I don't even know what I'm thinking. But, I would guess that laboratory workers would be protected when handling rodents. The idea of a disease spreading from rodents to humans isn't new...remember the bubonic plague? THAT killed hundreds of millions of people. It is thought that people were infected from either the bite of a rodent OR the bite of a flea from the rodent, which in turn infected the new host. I just find it odd that I had been bitten by a rodent as a child.... Although from what I understand XMRV is spread very much like AIDS so an infected human is just as likely to have infected any of us as a rodent. Right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delphicdragon Posted November 1, 2009 Report Share Posted November 1, 2009 Forgive the scientist in me.One point I want to clear up -- I work with mice. Our mice are completely virus free. We wear protection when we do anything with them, including a respirator/mask, hair cover, shoe covers, gown, gloves. They are to protect the mice from our germs. The typical pet mouse is VERY different from the typical lab mouse. The pet mouse carries a lot of germs, the lab mouse is virtually sterile.Getting off the soapbox now... Sara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramakentesh Posted November 1, 2009 Report Share Posted November 1, 2009 yeah I thought about this - I had two pet mice in my room by my bed for two years despite my mother's continual protests... Little Ollie bit me many times. LOL... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddm1960 Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 No mice for me.................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ana_22 Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 no mice for me either, though some friends in high school kept mice as pets and bought them to school in their sleeeves.....but i was very very scared of mice and im sure didnt even attempt to pet them!!!!im wondering though can you get it from mice urine .... as i have tested equivical twice to leptospirosis, so neither positive or negative, doctors have not been concerned about it. while researching leptospirosis i came across how you should be careful drinking from cans or water bottles as you dont know where they have been stored and it would be easy for mice to pee on this and then you to drink it....so your lips and mouth making contact with the surface of the can or water bottle that was peed on.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliegee Posted November 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 no mice for me either, though some friends in high school kept mice as pets and bought them to school in their sleeeves.....but i was very very scared of mice and im sure didnt even attempt to pet them!!!!im wondering though can you get it from mice urine .... as i have tested equivical twice to leptospirosis, so neither positive or negative, doctors have not been concerned about it. while researching leptospirosis i came across how you should be careful drinking from cans or water bottles as you dont know where they have been stored and it would be easy for mice to pee on this and then you to drink it....so your lips and mouth making contact with the surface of the can or water bottle that was peed on....Hmmm. Theoretically, yes. "Exchange of bodily fluids" is the cause scientists are touting for now. However, the fluids I've seen listed are: semen, blood & breast milk- not urine....but you never know. Too weird about the leptospirosis. We're more influenced by those rodent critters than we realize . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ana_22 Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 Hmmm. Theoretically, yes. "Exchange of bodily fluids" is the cause scientists are touting for now. However, the fluids I've seen listed are: semen, blood & breast milk- not urine....but you never know. Too weird about the leptospirosis. We're more influenced by those rodent critters than we realize .Yeah leptospirosis is the one thing that has been consistantly abnormal in my labs...i think the 2 tests were taken about 6 months apart. im not sure how to follow it up though as im not sure what it means.....does it mean there was some tupe of worm/bacteria thingy in my blood that looked like leptospirosis but not leptospirosis....plus its only meant to last 10 days and go away or get dramatically worse....ive kinda stayed the same level of sick going up and down over the last year and a half. im not even sure who i could follow it up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notgivinup Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 I've had mice, and been bitten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nforste Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 We had pet rats and although there were no pet mice, we had a few mouse plagues when I was growing up.This isn't rodent-exchange-of-fluids related, but I think my dysauto is due to or has been exacerbated by a redback spider bite and the large dose of antivenom I had. I guess there are lots of avenues how weird and sometimes nasty chemicals can get into our bodies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarthMother Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 However, the fluids I've seen listed are: semen, blood & breast milkI can honestly say I have never nursed a rat! ;-)Funny how many of us grew up with rats. I had pet rats in my early 20's and worked in a rat lab during college ... when my symptoms first started. I don't believe there's a connection but it is interesting to note nonetheless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firewatcher Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 From what little I have now read, the virus can pass from one species to another, so we could have possibly been exposed by other animals! (like dogs and cats--who definitely come into contact with mice!) I never had a mouse as a pet, but I've had dogs all my life and one insanely evil cat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lissy Posted November 21, 2009 Report Share Posted November 21, 2009 Right before I got this sick I moved into a house that actually had mice and I cleaned the place before we moved in with bleach but I didn't wear gloves or a mask like your suppose to because I was clueless and I just had to get rid of 2 more mice just last week at a new place I moved into YUCKKKKK!!!!!! I always wondered if that made me sick I haven't been tested for anything in regards to rodents but my doc would probally just say I don't have those tests available, like she said with heavy metal testing .What type of tests are available if anyone knows? And really I did get severely sick when I moved to the house with the mice (not PETS)Lissy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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