What can be contracted from a rat? - briefly
Rats transmit leptospirosis, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, salmonellosis, rat‑bite fever, plague, and other zoonotic infections. Transmission occurs via contaminated urine, feces, bites, or inhalation of aerosolized particles.
What can be contracted from a rat? - in detail
Rats serve as reservoirs for a wide range of zoonotic agents that can infect humans through direct contact, contaminated food or water, or bites from fleas, mites, and ticks that feed on them.
Common bacterial infections include:
- Leptospira interrogans – transmitted via urine‑contaminated water; causes leptospirosis with fever, headache, renal impairment, and possible pulmonary hemorrhage.
- Salmonella spp. – shed in feces; ingestion of contaminated food leads to gastroenteritis, fever, and abdominal cramps.
- Yersinia pestis – the plague bacterium; fleas that have fed on infected rats can bite humans, producing bubonic, septicemic, or pneumonic forms.
- Streptobacillus moniliformis – responsible for rat‑bite fever; manifests as fever, rash, polyarthritis, and possible endocarditis after a bite or scratch.
Viral agents carried by rats:
- Hantavirus – primarily Seoul virus in urban rats; inhalation of aerosolized rodent excreta causes hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, characterized by fever, thrombocytopenia, and acute kidney injury.
- Lassa virus – rodents act as reservoirs; human infection leads to hemorrhagic fever with high mortality if untreated.
- Arenaviruses – other rat‑associated strains can cause febrile illnesses and encephalitis.
Parasitic threats:
- Angiostrongylus cantonensis (rat lungworm) – larvae released in rat feces contaminate produce; ingestion results in eosinophilic meningitis, severe headache, and neurological deficits.
- Hymenolepis nana (dwarf tapeworm) – eggs passed in feces; ingestion causes abdominal pain, diarrhea, and weight loss.
- Toxoplasma gondii – rats can harbor tissue cysts; consumption of undercooked meat from infected animals may transmit the parasite, leading to flu‑like symptoms and, in immunocompromised hosts, encephalitis.
Other notable agents:
- Bartonella henselae – transmitted by fleas; can cause cat‑scratch disease‑like illness with lymphadenopathy and fever.
- Mycobacterium marinum – rare, associated with aquatic environments where rats may spread the bacterium; produces skin lesions resembling ulcerative granulomas.
Prevention relies on rodent control, proper sanitation, protective equipment when handling rodents, and avoidance of consuming food or water potentially contaminated by rodent excreta. Early recognition of symptoms and appropriate antimicrobial or antiviral therapy improve outcomes for most of these infections.