How do rats get sick? - briefly
Rats become ill when exposed to pathogens, toxins, or adverse environmental conditions. Infection routes include ingestion of contaminated material, inhalation of airborne microbes, and wounds from other infected animals.
How do rats get sick? - in detail
Rats contract illnesses through multiple pathways that involve infectious agents, environmental conditions, physiological stressors, and genetic predispositions.
Key routes of infection include:
- Direct contact with contaminated surfaces or conspecifics transmitting bacteria such as Salmonella spp., Leptospira spp., and Streptobacillus moniliformis.
- Inhalation of aerosolized viral particles, notably hantavirus and rat coronavirus, which proliferate in densely populated colonies.
- Ingestion of food or water tainted with parasites like Nippostrongylus brasiliensis or protozoa such as Giardia spp.
- Vector-borne transmission via ectoparasites (fleas, mites, ticks) that carry agents like Rickettsia spp. and Bartonella spp.
Environmental factors that predispose rodents to disease comprise poor sanitation, overcrowding, extreme temperatures, and inadequate ventilation. These conditions facilitate pathogen survival and increase stress levels, which suppress immune function.
Physiological stressors—competition for resources, social hierarchy disputes, and handling trauma—activate the hypothalamic‑pituitary‑adrenal axis, elevating corticosterone and diminishing lymphocyte activity. Chronic stress thus lowers resistance to opportunistic infections.
Nutritional deficiencies, particularly of vitamin C, vitamin E, and essential fatty acids, impair mucosal barriers and antioxidant defenses, making rats more susceptible to respiratory and gastrointestinal disorders.
Genetic background influences susceptibility; certain inbred strains exhibit heightened sensitivity to specific pathogens due to allelic variations in immune‑related genes such as MHC and TLR families.
Effective disease prevention requires controlling each of these elements: maintaining clean habitats, limiting population density, providing balanced diets, and monitoring genetically vulnerable lines.