Geographical distribution of mouse and mouse-borne diseases in Iran: a review article.

Background: Mice as a reservoir and potential source of some zoonotic diseases play an important role in transferring and spreading of infectious diseases. Considering the important role of mice in transmitting diseases to human, this study aimed to evaluate the geographic distribution of mouse and mouse-borne diseases. Materials and Methods: This review article was carried out using keywords: rodents, Yersinia, Tularemia, Salmonellosis and the terms for other diseases caused by mouse. Ovid, PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, Systematic Review, SID, Scirus and Google scholar databases were searched to find the relevant articles. A total number of 600 articles were retrieved and their titles and abstracts were reviewed. The irrelevant articles were excluded and the eligible ones selected and finally the results were analyzed. Results: Findings of this study indicated a new geographical distribution for mouse and mouse-borne diseases in Iran. Moreover, the results of this study clearly showed the types of disease transmission and distribution by mice in Iran. Such places can be labeled as high-risk areas in order to use the effective control methods. Conclusion: Results show that mice are the important reservoirs of diseases in Iran. Important foci of the diseases in almost all areas of Iran are dispersed. Therefore, reliable methods to control mice are important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]