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Posted on:11/20/2009
Question
Hi. My roommate has begun breeding mice at home. He currently has 20 mice in 2 cages. Most of them are young and some are babies. I noticed that I started getting a cough and feeling like there is hair in my throat. He cleans the cages once a week but with so many mice there are always feces in the cage. Yesterday I started a fever but that has been controlled with a fever reducer medication. I just wanted to know if my symptoms describe anything that I could have gotten from the mice or their feces. Thank you.
Answer
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The timing of the cough and throat irritation occurring shortly after the beginning of the mouse breeding raises the question of an allergy. This might be a reaction to the animals, or even the food or cleaning materials. You might ask your roommate what types of food, bedding, and cage cleaning materials are being used, and then consult your doctor about whether further testing or treatment is needed.
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Answered By:
John Boggs
, M.D.
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