Peromyscus - Use As A Laboratory Animal

Use As A Laboratory Animal

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. 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.

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.