eLetters to:

ELECTRONIC ARTICLE: Leslie L. Barton and N. Joanne Hyndman Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus: Reemerging Central Nervous System Pathogen Pediatrics 2000; 105: e35 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]

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eLetters published:

Dangers of rodent pets

Cory Mermer   (21 March 2000)

LCMV..unrecognized zoonosis

leslie l barton, n joanne hyndman   (27 March 2000)

History Taking; Pets

Marc Berg   (3 April 2000)

Infectious disease risks of animals

leslie barton   (3 April 2000)

Dangers of rodent pets 21 March 2000
Cory Mermer, Researcher/Writer Send letter to journal: Re: Dangers of rodent pets cmermer{at}aol.com Cory Mermer	The case report and discussion of LCMV by Barton et al was excellent and in my mind a little unsettling. This is because of the prevalence of mice, hamsters, and guinea pigs as pets, not only in the home, but also in almost every preschool and elementary school in the nation. Is this putting our children at risk unnecessarily? What about if the virus is brought home from school and pregnant mothers are exposed, possibly leading to intrauterine infection? I am sure that most parents and teachers are unaware of even the existence of LCMV and it's potentially serious consequences. Additionally, for class pets, in today's litigious society, the legal ramifications must also be taken into account. If someone suffers serious complications as a result of exposure to the virus from a class pet, it is very possible the school or school system will be found to be liable. Clearly pets do have positive impacts, especially with young children, such as helping to foster a sense of responsibility. However, the benefits must be balanced against the possible risks, however small, of serious neurological damage and even death, from LCMV and possibly other viruses as well.
LCMV..unrecognized zoonosis 27 March 2000
leslie l barton, MD University of Arizona, n joanne hyndman Send letter to journal: Re: LCMV..unrecognized zoonosis llb{at}peds.arizona.edu leslie l barton, et al.	We thank the letter's author for thoughtful comments. While we agree that pets have both psychological and physical benefits, they-as are virtually all good things-not without risk. Although the transmission of LCMV to humans may take place by direct contact with infected animal excreta and via aerosols, simple handwashing and wetting of surfaces to be swept, may minimalize the risk of infection. Human-to-human postnatal transmission has, incidentally, never been documented. Furthermore, the distribution of LCMV is highly variable within mouse populations and remains inadequately studied in these animals, as well as in hamsters and guinea pigs. The dual needs for further research, in addition to education of the public (and medical professionals) of the potential hazards of direct contact with infected rodents are obvious.
History Taking; Pets 3 April 2000
Marc Berg, Critical Care U of Utah Send letter to journal: Re: History Taking; Pets marc.berg{at}hsc.utah.edu Marc Berg	As an aside, having been a chief resident for Dr. Barton, I can attest that she asks [specific] questions regarding pets in the home during her history taking. I guess in addition to cats (Bartonella) and birds (Chlamydia) and fish (pseudomonas) we must condsider rodents after reading this interesting article.
Infectious disease risks of animals 3 April 2000
leslie barton, MD..Prof of Peds Univ of AZ Send letter to journal: Re: Infectious disease risks of animals llb{at}peds.arizona.edu leslie barton	We thank Dr Berg for his comments demonstrating,as always, his astuteness and retention of lessons well-learned! We would emphasize that our article underscores the importance of investigation of all animal contact,whether direct or indirect,pet or feral, inside the house or without.