Public health and gerbils: microbial evaluation.

Fifty Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) were purchased from 25 retail outlets. The aerobic oral and fecal bacterial flora as well as the dermatophyte flora were examined for potential human pathogens. The study revealed that gerbils purchased from retail outlets constituted no public health threat in terms of disease caused by these organisms. Among the retail outlets there were no differences in findings between gerbils that originated with commercial breeders or those supplied by customers of the retail outlet.