Pest Management Professional, November 2009
by wild areas deer mice will readily invade unfinished unoccupied and unused structures and possibly create a number of health hazards Peromyscus species in the Western United States are susceptible to infection with the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis and may act as hosts for plague carrying fleas Control of these rodents without concurrent control of fleas might increase the risk of human plague as rodent fleas seek alternate hosts animal holding areas Persons have also acquired HPS by being bitten by infected rodents Transmission can also occur when dried materials contaminated by rodent excreta are disturbed and inhaled directly introduced into broken skin or conjunctiva or possibly when ingested in contaminated food or water Mouse Training Pest management companies should train technicians on the biology ecology behavior stowaway potential and identification characteristics of Peromyscus species so field personnel can quickly recognize these animals when they encounter them in the field Technicians should be competent enough to communicate with their customer intelligently about these mammals and the safety precautions that are necessary to work with these mice safely and effectively PMP You can reach Gulmahamad an urban and structural entomologist residing in Ontario Calif at hanif gulmahamad@ lausd net Circle 128 is common to see neighbors on local television stations complaining about pests that are invading their homes from nearby abandoned properties In new housing tracts particularly those bordered Its important to point out that domestic cats and dogs can bring infected rodents indoors and into contact with humans Handling and trying to rescue these injured dying or dead animals can expose wellintentioned but naive people to HPS People visiting laboratories where infected rodents were housed have been infected after only a few minutes of exposure to www mypmp net NOVEMBER 2009 PEST MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL 57
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