Forget subway rats. It's the mice that we need to worry about.
New York City mice are teeming with bacteria that can make humans sick, a study published Tuesday in science journal mBio revealed.
Scientists gathered 416 mice from residential buildings in New York and found many were carriers of salmonella, E. coli, and other bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal infections in humans. Some of those bacteria carried antibiotic-resistant genes.
Experts told Stat that they weren't convinced humans can actually contract those bacteria. But the study's lead scientist said the findings raise the possibility of mouse-to-human infection and suggest we're focusing too much on the stereotypically dirty rats.
Time to unleash the cats.