What diseases can mice and rats transmit? - briefly
Mice and rats transmit pathogens such as hantavirus, leptospirosis, salmonellosis, plague, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, and various gastrointestinal bacteria. Transmission occurs via bites, contaminated food, urine, or droppings.
What diseases can mice and rats transmit? - in detail
Mice and rats serve as reservoirs for a wide range of pathogenic agents that can affect humans through direct contact, contaminated food or water, and inhalation of aerosolized excreta.
Bacterial infections
- Leptospirosis – caused by Leptospira spp.; transmitted via skin abrasions or mucous membranes exposed to urine‑contaminated water; symptoms include fever, headache, jaundice, and renal failure.
- Rat‑bite fever – Streptobacillus moniliformis infection following bites or scratches; presents with fever, rash, arthralgia, and septicemia.
- Typhus – Rickettsia typhi spread by flea bites that have fed on infected rodents; produces high fever, headache, and a maculopapular rash.
- Plague – Yersinia pestis carried by fleas that infest rodents; bubonic form causes painful lymphadenopathy, septicemic and pneumonic forms lead to systemic shock and respiratory failure.
- Salmonellosis – Salmonella spp. shed in feces; ingestion of contaminated food results in gastroenteritis with diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps.
- E. coli O157:H7 – enterohemorrhagic strains excreted in rodent feces; ingestion leads to severe colitis and possible hemolytic‑uremic syndrome.
Viral infections
- Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome – primarily Sin Nombre virus from deer mice; inhalation of dried urine or feces triggers severe respiratory distress, fever, and hemorrhagic manifestations.
- Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) – transmitted by contact with contaminated rodent secretions; can cause meningitis, encephalitis, or congenital anomalies if infection occurs during pregnancy.
- Arenavirus infections – various species carried by rodents; present with fever, hemorrhage, and multi‑organ failure.
- Tularemia – Francisella tularensis may be spread by rodent bites or contaminated aerosols; leads to ulceroglandular lesions, fever, and pneumonia.
Parasitic infections
- Giardiasis – Giardia lamblia cysts passed in feces; ingestion results in chronic diarrhea, malabsorption, and weight loss.
- Toxoplasmosis – Toxoplasma gondii tissue cysts can be present in rodent muscle; consumption of undercooked meat from infected rodents may cause flu‑like illness or severe complications in immunocompromised individuals.
- Baylisascaris procyonis – roundworm eggs shed in raccoon and rodent feces; accidental ingestion can cause visceral or ocular larva migrans with neurological damage.
Fungal infections
- Cryptococcosis – Cryptococcus neoformans can colonize rodent droppings; inhalation leads to meningitis, especially in immunosuppressed patients.
Transmission routes include bites, scratches, handling of contaminated bedding, ingestion of contaminated food or water, and inhalation of aerosolized particles. Prompt identification of exposure, laboratory confirmation, and targeted antimicrobial or antiviral therapy are essential to reduce morbidity and mortality.