| Peromyscus Temporal range: Late Miocene – Recent |
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|---|---|
| Peromyscus maniculatus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Neotominae |
| Genus: | Peromyscus Gloger, 1841 |
| species | |
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The genus Peromyscus contains the animal species commonly referred to as deer mice. This is a genus of New World mouse only distantly related to the common house mouse and laboratory mouse, Mus musculus. Although superficially resembling Mus musculus, Peromyscus have relatively larger eyes, and also often two-tone coloring, with darker colors over the dorsum (back), and white abdominal and limb hair-coloring. In reference to the coloring, the word Peromyscus comes from Greek words meaning "booted mouse".[1]
They are also accomplished jumpers and runners by comparison to house mice, and their common name of "deer mouse" (coined 1833) is in reference to this agility.[2]
The most common species of deer mice 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.[3][4]
There is a different mammal by the name of "Mouse Deer", a relatively primitive ungulate of minuscule size.
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The deer mouse came to the attention of the public when it was discovered to be the primary reservoir species for hantavirus.[3][5][6]
A recent study in British Columbia, of 218 Deer mice showed that 30% (66) were seropositive for B. burgdorferi,[7] the agent of Lyme disease.
Ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, and bubonic plague are also carried by the deer mouse.[1]
While wild populations are sometimes studied, Peromyscus is also easy to breed and keep in captivity, although they are more energetic and difficult to handle than the relatively more tame lab mouse Mus musculus. For certain studies, Peromyscus 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.[8][9][10][11] Their use in aging research results from the fact that Peromyscus spp., despite being of similar size to the standard laboratory mouse, have maximum life spans of 5 to 7 years, vs. the 2 to 3 year maximum life span of ad-libitum fed Mus musculus laboratory strains, or Mus musculus obtained from the wild.[1]
The Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center at the University of South Carolina was established by Professor Wallace Dawson in 1985 to raise animals of the peromyscine species for research and educational use. This institute maintains populations of several different species (including Peromyscus californicus, Peromyscus maniculatus, Peromyscus melanophrys, Peromyscus eremicus, and Peromyscus aztecus). A variety of mutations affecting their behavior, biochemistry, and the color of their coats are exhibited in these genetic lines.