Closely supervise young children, especially those less than five years old, when cleaning cages, and make sure they wash their hands immediately after handling rodents and rodent caging or bedding. Do not kiss pet rodents or hold them close to your face.Rodent owners who no longer wish to keep their pet should consult a veterinarian. Pets should not be released into the wild for humane, legal, and ecological reasons. After a rodent has been purchased, it should not be returned to the pet store as it may have been exposed to LCMV through house mice. Research
LCM is the archetypal arenavirus, and was instrumental in research which uncovered the major pathogenetic mechanisms of all arenaviruses.The field of viral immunology will continue to be uncovered by the model system of LCMV. Specifically, the study of persistent viral infections as well as vaccine development, represent two essential areas. LCMV is already identified as the best model to examine the difference between acute and persistent infection in its natural host Mus musculus, the common house mouse. Conveniently, the mouse is also the most widely used genetic model for mammalian genetics. A major phenotypic difference results from only two nucleotide differences between acute LCMV, also known as Armstrong LCMV, and one of its variant, Clone 13, which leads to persistent LCMV infection. One of the nucleotide mutations is in the process of glycoprotein formation and affects tropism. The second base pair mutation affects the polymerase which influences replicative capacity.
If infection occurs during the first trimester, LCMV results in an increased risk of spontaneous abortion. Later congenital infection may lead to malformations such as intracranial calcifications, hydrocephalus, microcephaly or macrocephaly, intellectual disabilities, and seizures. Other findings include chorioretinal scars, and optic atrophy. Chorioretinitis, which is followed by chorioretinal scarring, is the most common ocular lesion. Mortality among infants is approximately 30%. Among the survivors, two-thirds have lasting neurologic abnormalities.Other ocular defects including optic atrophy, microphthalmia, vitreitis, leukokoria and cataracts can also be seen. Most of the infants in one case series were of normal birth weight, although 30% were underweight. Aspiration pneumonia can be a fatal complication. Infants who survive may have severe neurological defects including epilepsy, impaired coordination, visual loss or blindness, spastic diplegia or quadriparesis/quadriplegia, delayed development and intellectual disability. Less severe cases with isolated cerebellar hypoplasia and symptoms of ataxia and jitteriness have been reported occasionally. There have also been rare cases with evidence of chorioretinitis but without neurological signs. Systemic signs seem to be rare, but hepatosplenomegaly, thrombocytopenia and hyperbilirubinemia have been documented in a few cases, and skin blisters were reported in one infant.If a woman has come into contact with a rodent during pregnancy and LCM symptoms are manifested, a blood test is available to determine previous or current infection. A history of infection does not pose a risk for future pregnancies. Organ donation
Patients infected in solid organ transplants have developed a severe fatal illness, starting within weeks of the transplant.