A 2018 study of pathogens, in the mice from New York City basements, showed the mice were “crawling” with pathogens, including formerly unknown viruses and drug-resistant bacteria. The scientists did not know how the mice contracted the pathogens, how the mice became carriers, or if the pathogens posed a risk to humans. The drug-resistant bacteria in mice matched the profile of drug-resistant bacteria, in nearby New York hospitals, which had become nearly untreatable.

Weintraub K. 2018. Trolobites. New York Mice Are Crawling With Dangerous Bacteria and Viruses. New York Times. (Health) April 17, 2018. Doi:nyti.ms/2H6gXat.