What diseases do rats carry? - briefly
Rats transmit a range of zoonoses, including leptospirosis, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, plague (Yersinia pestis), salmonellosis, rat‑bite fever (Streptobacillus moniliformis), and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. These pathogens spread via bite wounds, contaminated food or water, and aerosolized urine or feces.
What diseases do rats carry? - in detail
Rats serve as reservoirs for a wide range of pathogens that can infect humans through direct contact, contaminated food, water, or vectors such as fleas and mites. The most significant disease agents are grouped into bacterial, viral, parasitic, and fungal categories.
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Bacterial infections
- Leptospira interrogans (leptospirosis): transmitted via urine‑contaminated water; symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, and possible kidney or liver failure.
- Salmonella enterica (salmonellosis): spread through fecal contamination of food; causes gastroenteritis with diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever.
- Yersinia pestis (plague): fleas that feed on infected rats transmit the bacterium; presents as bubonic, septicemic, or pneumonic forms with high mortality if untreated.
- Streptobacillus moniliformis (rat‑bite fever): introduced through bites or scratches; produces fever, rash, polyarthralgia, and vomiting.
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Viral diseases
- Hantavirus (hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome): inhalation of aerosolized rodent excreta; leads to severe respiratory distress or renal impairment.
- Lassa virus: primarily associated with Mastomys rats but can be carried by other rodents; transmitted through contact with urine or feces, causing hemorrhagic fever, facial swelling, and multi‑organ failure.
- Arenaviruses (e.g., LCMV – lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus): spread by contact with contaminated secretions; results in meningitis, encephalitis, or congenital infection in pregnant women.
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Parasitic agents
- Toxoplasma gondii: rats act as intermediate hosts; humans acquire infection by ingesting oocysts from contaminated soil or water, leading to flu‑like illness or severe complications in immunocompromised individuals and pregnant women.
- Baylisascaris procyonis (roundworm): eggs shed in rat feces become infectious; ingestion causes visceral, ocular, or neural larva migrans with neurological deficits.
- Echinococcus multilocularis (alveolar echinococcosis): rodents act as intermediate hosts; humans infected through accidental ingestion of eggs develop liver cysts that may metastasize.
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Fungal pathogens
- Histoplasma capsulatum: grows in soils enriched with bird or rodent droppings; inhalation of spores produces histoplasmosis, characterized by fever, cough, and, in severe cases, disseminated disease.
Transmission routes include direct bites or scratches, inhalation of aerosolized droppings, consumption of contaminated food or water, and vector‑borne spread via fleas, ticks, or mites. Preventive measures focus on rodent control, sanitation, protective equipment for handling rodents, and public education about avoiding contact with rodent excreta. Early diagnosis and appropriate antimicrobial or antiviral therapy improve outcomes for most infections.