Japanese shrew

The Japanese Shrew is an important model for Congenital Sucrase-Isomaltase Deficiency (CSID), a disorder that affects a person’s ability to digest certain sugars.  It can affect infants, children, and adults.  Symptoms include chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain, and bloating. The shrew naturally has both glucosidase and sucrose deficiencies, making it a natural model to mimic the human condition of CSID.

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Japanese shrew

Japanese shrew

This Japanese shrew is helping to treat Congenital Sucrase-Isomaltase Deficiency (CSID). He eats a special diet that was also fed to his mother before he was born. He is then fasted for a time and glucose measurements are obtained in a similar way that diabetics check their own blood sugar.…

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Japanese shrew

Shrew in a tube

This Japanese shrew lives in a large shoe box cage, with many tubes and nesting material for him to find shelter. He is completely blind, so gentle care is taken when handling him.  His short reproductive cycle helps researchers evaluate the effects of oral supplements in reversing sucrose deficiency over…

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