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deer mouse

 
Dictionary: deer mouse
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n.
A North American mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) having white feet and underparts, and a long, bicolored tail.


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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: deer mouse
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Any of about 60 species (genus Peromyscus, family Cricetidae) of small, delicate rodents that are active at night and are found in habitats from Alaska to South America. They often outnumber all other mammals in an area. Deer mice are 3 – 6.5 in. (8 – 17 cm) long (excluding the long tail) and have large eyes, soft fur, and relatively large ears. Colours range from white to brown or blackish, with white underparts and feet. They eat plant and animal matter and nest in burrows or trees. Clean, easily cared for, and prolific, they are often used as laboratory animals.

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WordNet: deer mouse
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: brownish New World mouse; most widely distributed member of the genus
  Synonym: Peromyscus maniculatus

Wikipedia: Peromyscus
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Peromyscus
Fossil range: Late Miocene - Recent
Peromyscus maniculatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Superfamily: Muroidea
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Neotominae
Genus: Peromyscus
Gloger, 1841
species

See text.

The genus Peromyscus contains species commonly referred to as deer mice. This is a genus of New World mouse only distantly related to the common house mouse, Mus musculus. The most common species of deer mouse in the continental United States are two closely related species, P. maniculatus, and P. leucopus. In the USA, Peromyscus is the most populous mammalian genus overall, and has become notorious in the western United States as a carrier of the hantavirus. [1] [2]

The word Peromyscus comes from the Greek for "booted mouse". [3]

There is a different mammal by the name of "Mouse Deer," a relatively primitive ungulate of minuscule size.

Contents

Disease

The deer mouse came to the attention of the public when it was discovered to be the primary reservoir species for hantavirus. [4][5] [6] A recent study in British Columbia, of 218 Deer mice showed that 30% (66) were seropositive for B. burgdorferi[7]. Ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, and bubonic plague are also carried by the deer mouse. [8]

As a Laboratory Animal

While wild populations are sometimes studied, Peromyscus is also easy to breed and keep in captivity. For certain studies, it is also favoured over the common laboratory mouse (Mus domesticus) and the laboratory rat (Rattus norvegicus) . Apart from their importance in studying infectious diseases, Peromyscus are useful for studying phylogeography, speciation, chromosomes, genetics, ecology, population genetics, and evolution in general. They are also useful for researching repetitive movement disorders and aging research. [9] [10] [11] [12]

The Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center at the University of South Carolina was established in 1985 by Dr. Wallace Dawson to provide peromyscine species for research and educational use. The center maintains lines of several species (including Peromyscus californicus, Peromyscus maniculatus, Peromyscus melanophrys, Peromyscus eremicus and Peromyscus aztecus). A variety of mutations affecting behavior, biochemisty and coat colour are carried in these lines.

Species

External links

References

  1. ^ http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/noframes/phys/virology.htm
  2. ^ http://www.sc.edu/research/pdf/Bioengineering.pdf
  3. ^ Crossland, J. and A. Lewandowski. 2006. Peromyscus - A fascinating laboratory animal model. Techtalk, 11:1-2.
  4. ^ http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/noframes/phys/virology.htm
  5. ^ "It's Official--The Deer Mouse Is Deadly." Newsmagazine 18 July 1994: 43+ . Academic Search Elite. EBSCOhost. UWSP Library. 12 Oct. 2007
  6. ^ Netski, Dale, Brandonlyn Thran, and Stephen St. Jeor. "Sin Nombre Virus Pathogenesis in Peromyscus maniculatus." Journal of Virology 73.1 (1999): 585- 591. Biological & Agricultural. Wilson Web. 25 Oct. 2007 http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/reprint/73/1/585.
  7. ^ Canada Communicable Disease Report (CCDR) - Vol.34 CCDR-01 - Public Health Agency of Canada
  8. ^ Crossland, J. and A. Lewandowski. 2006. Peromyscus - A fascinating laboratory animal model. Techtalk, 11:1-2.
  9. ^ Joyner CP, Myrick LC, Crossland JP, Dawson WD. Deer Mice As Laboratory Animals. ILAR J. 1998 Sep;39(4):322-330.
  10. ^ Dewey, M.J. and W.D. Dawson. 2001. Deer Mice: “The Drosophila” of North American mammalogy. Genesis, 29:105-109.
  11. ^ Mammalian models for research on aging. (1981) ISBN: 9780309030946 [Google Books]
  12. ^ Linnen, C.R. et al. On the origin and spread of an adaptive allele in deer mice. Science. 2009 Aug 28;325(5944):1095-8. PubMedID: 19713521

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Peromyscus".  Read more