The University of New Mexico & The Office of Animal Care and Compliance

1. The University of New Mexico& The Office of Animal Care and Compliance present Rodent Field Safety A learning module developed by OACC

2. Introduction • This module was developed to prepare you for safety issues involved in doing field research with Rodents

3. General Background • Rats and mice are among the most successful mammal groups on Earth. They are adaptable creatures that can inhabit almost any environment. • Rodents are noted as carriers of Hantavirus and the Plague. • Over half of all mammals on Earth are rodents.

4. The following pertain to ALL RODENT FIELD RESEARCH • Injuries and Sickness – What are the dangers in working with Rodents? • Habitat – What kind of climate or environment will I be exposed to? • Protective Equipment – How do I handle rodents?

5. Injuries and Sickness • Rodents can carry Hantavirus, the Plague, Monkeypox, Lassa fever, and Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis to name a few • Of particular concern to Field Biologists is Hantavirus and the Plague • All rodents should be handled with gloves and a filter mask • Injuries are typically bites and sometimes scratches

6. Injuries and SicknessHantavirus: • Rodents carry both disease organisms and parasites that carry disease organisms • Rodents can carry Hantavirus which is passed in the saliva, urine, and droppings of infected rodents • People are infected when they breath in tiny particles of these materials in dust from places where rodents are living and active • People can also become infected by handling contaminated materials and then touching the mouth or nose • Hantavirus is NOT spread from person to person

7. Injuries and SicknessHantavirus Symptoms: • The first symptoms are general and flu-like: fever, headache, stomach pain, pain in the joints and lower back, coughing, and sometimes nausea and vomiting • The main symptom is difficulty in breathing as lungs fill with fluid • This can quickly lead to an inability to breathe and even death from suffocation • Symptoms can appear from 3 days to 6 weeks after infection, but usually within 2 weeks

8. Hantavirus • If you have any of these symptoms within 6 to 7 weeks of having contact with wild rodents or rodent droppings GO TO EOHS, THE STUDENT HEALTH CENTER, OR THE UNM EMERGENCY ROOM • You must also complete the Hantavirus Risk Reduction training module before doing any rodent field research

9. Injuries and SicknessPlague: • The Plague is carried by fleas that frequently infest rodents • Most human cases in the United States occur in two regions: 1) northern New Mexico, northern Arizona, and southern Colorado; and 2) California, southern Oregon, and far western Nevada

10. The PlagueSymptoms: • The typical sign of the most common form of human plague (bubonic) is a swollen and very tender lymph gland, accompanied by pain • A person usually becomes ill with bubonic plague 2 to 6 days after being infected • Other symptoms include: fever, chills, headache, and extreme exhaustion

11. The PlaguePneumonic: • Symptoms for Pneumonic Plague are very similar to Bubonic Plague and include Pneumonia and blood in the sputum • Infected persons are contagious from droplet transmission while coughing, or fleas

12. Rodent HabitatsWhere do they live? • Rodents can live in almost any environment, depending upon the species • Rodents are typically burrowing animals and nest under ground, in rocks, dead trees, old buildings, anywhere that affords them shelter and privacy

13. Protective Equipment • Rodents WILL BITE – use gloves when handling them • Rodents can carry diseases – use gloves when handling them • Rodents can carry diseases - a filter mask should be worn when handling them or in areas where they live

14. This Concludes Module 11 – Rodent Safety • Please download the exam, complete it, then e-mail it to KMirowsky@salud.unm.edu • For more information, or if you have questions, please contact OACC @ 272-6806