Abstract :
The aim of study was to explore the potential of house mice in carrying bacterial populations. For this purpose, a total of 100 stool samples were collected directly from intestine of individual (n=100) mice. To isolate and characterize bacteria, these samples were cultured on different types of growth media and isolates were identified based on rate of growth, characteristics of colonies, gram staining, acid fast staining, biochemical characteristics and chromogen production. Cumulative outcome of these properties guided the identification of Mycobacterium kansasii in 10% samples, Mycobacterium chelonae in 8%, Mycobacterium scrofulaceum in 7%, Salmonella typhimurium in 15%, Escherichia coli in 10%, Shigella dysenteriae in 30%, Proteus vulgaris in 5%, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 2% and Klebisella pneumoniae in 3%, Nocardia asteroides in 15%, where as Vibrio cholerae in 5% of tested samples. Many of these bacteria are important zoonotic pathogens. Therefore, house mice may act as important source of disease to humans. These results highlight the circulation of multiple bacterial populations in Iraqi house mice for the first time.
