SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/small-lcmv-pregnant

Who should avoid handling pet rodents like hamsters and mice, when possible?

Pregnant women, because of a virus called LCMV.

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  1. All pet owners under 18
  2. People with seasonal allergies
  3. Pregnant women ✔

Why: Pet rodents can carry lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Most healthy people get mild or no illness, but the virus can pass to an unborn baby and cause serious birth defects.

Huh, didn't know that: People catch LCM from fresh urine, droppings, saliva or nesting material of infected rodents.

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What did the gerbil say to the hamster? You are wheel-y great.
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References

Answer: Pregnant women. Pet rodents can carry lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Most healthy people get mild or no illness, but the virus can pass to an unborn baby and cause serious birth defects.

  1. Small Mammals, CDC Healthy Pets www.cdc.gov/healthy-pets/about/small-mammals.html
    Pregnant women should not handle pet rodents, when possible, because of the risk for lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus.
    Checked 2026-10-11.
  2. About Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis, CDC www.cdc.gov/lymphocytic-choriomeningitis/about/index.html
    Infections in the second and third trimesters can cause serious birth defects.
    Checked 2026-10-11.

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