Rodent was one of the families of animals that lived on earth. It have so much popular species I’m sure you already knew about it, such as squirrels which is spread in many other breeds, included: ground squirrel, giant squirrel, and one of the most unique squirrel – the flying squirrel. Not to mention other cute species of these hamsters, guinea pig, and chinchilla. Okay, so tell me, who doesn’t love all these species? In fact, they were pretty famous and gained their own popularity among other pet animals.
So, yes, rodent family was popular. Unfortunately, this family also become the most annoyed animals by all the farmers. As you already knew, rodent was widely known as “destroyers” animals. They love to destroy and ambush farmer’ lands and eat all the plants they could eat. Not to mention that rodent was known carried disease that could infect other creatures in wide range of people and animals. Yes, this family was brought many problems to people, but do not forget their merit, people.
Without them, our scientists wouldn’t able to find cures for many disease out there. I know it probably sounds cruel, but rodent is the common species of laboratory animals. The scientist would use them to test some medication due the effectiveness of the medication to the bacteria or the viruses. Most of the time, the ones that used as laboratory animals was mice or rat. However, do not ever mistaken that these two species aren’t not attracted people to pet them.
The truth is many people interest to pet them – especially the mice. Yes, this little rodent almost similar to the adorable hamster – only they have long tails behind them. People, no one really know how mice life and how they grow up. Arise from concernment that mice – as rodent species – carrying disease, people questioned: does mice need vaccine to grow up? If we attract to keep mice as pet, does mice need vaccine to grow up with us?
Vaccination of Mice
Apparently, there so many vaccinations could be perform to mice if your attention is to keep them as pet. Why mice need vaccine? It is to reduce the risk of pet rodent infect the owner with disease. For you note, there are examples of disease that could transfer from the per rodent to the human that should aware of: LCMV virus that caused meningitis, hantavirus, and leptospirosis. So, how does these infections transfer to people?
The infections transmitted to people throughout animal bite, contaminated animal’ equipment such as bedding, breathing rodent’ dander, contact with rodent’ urine and dropping, and then from animal bite. For the hantavirus, in infect people throughout the air; in other words, the victim accidentally breath the virus that emerged from rodent’ drop and urine. Therefore, many people solve this problem through immunization strategies that offers by veterinarian, especially for the rodent pet.
So, what kind of protocols and immunization strategies of mice that offers? There are some strategies that totally useful for the mice (don’t forget it’s also depend what kind of antigen you want to administer), for the examples: intraperitoneal delivery, intradermal, and subcutaneous. Another example is when you vaccine your mice with Salmonella Expressing VapA, this would provide protection for you mice from Rhodococcus equi infection through the help of Mucosal and Systemic Th1 responses.
Furthermore, intramuscular immunization the mice with live influenza virus was proved more effective than inactivated virus’ immunization due the amount of protection that able to provide. Then, vaccinate your mice with Yop Translocon Complex would elicit the mice antibodies to provide protection against infection of F1‾ Yersinia pestis. Well, folks, I’ not a doctor that capable to explain other vaccinations that provided for your mice; so it is way better if you consult with your vet about the perfect vaccine for your beloved pet mice.
One of the most important thing to reduce the risk of disease’ transmission is by taking care of the mice cleanliness frequently. Always remove soiled bedding from the cage, and do not do direct contact such as kissing your mice and touching the drop and mice’ urine. Most of all, always wash your hands before and after handling the mice.