Which disease can be transmitted from rats? - briefly
R rats are vectors for leptospirosis, a bacterial infection spread through urine-contaminated water or soil, and can also transmit hantavirus, which causes severe respiratory illness. Additional rodent‑borne pathogens include plague and salmonellosis, but leptospirosis and hantavirus are the most common.
Which disease can be transmitted from rats? - in detail
Rats serve as reservoirs for several pathogens that can infect humans through direct contact, bites, inhalation of contaminated aerosols, or ingestion of contaminated food and water. The most frequently reported illnesses include:
- Leptospirosis – caused by Leptospira bacteria shed in rat urine. Exposure occurs when skin abrasions or mucous membranes contact contaminated water or soil. Early symptoms are fever, headache, muscle pain; severe cases may lead to kidney failure, jaundice, or pulmonary hemorrhage.
- Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome – transmitted by inhalation of aerosolized droppings, urine, or saliva of infected rodents. Initial signs mimic flu; rapid progression to respiratory distress and shock can be fatal without prompt intensive care.
- Rat‑bite fever – bacterial infection with Streptobacillus moniliformis (or Spirillum minus in Asia) following a rat bite or scratch. Presents with fever, rash, arthralgia, and occasionally septicemia; antibiotic therapy with penicillin or doxycycline is effective.
- Plague – caused by Yersinia pestis; rats harbor the bacterium, which can be transmitted to humans via flea bites or direct handling of infected rodents. Bubonic form produces painful swollen lymph nodes; pneumonic form spreads through respiratory droplets and carries high mortality if untreated.
- Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) – spread through contact with rodent excreta or contaminated bedding. Often asymptomatic, but can cause meningitis, encephalitis, or congenital infection leading to developmental abnormalities.
- Salmonellosis – Salmonella species may colonize the gastrointestinal tract of rats; contaminated food handling can cause gastroenteritis with diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps.
- Tularemia – Francisella tularensis occasionally isolated from wild rats; transmission occurs through handling of infected animals or contaminated water, resulting in ulceroglandular lesions, fever, and lymphadenopathy.
Prevention strategies focus on rodent control, proper sanitation, protective equipment when handling rodents, and prompt wound care. Vaccines exist for plague in high‑risk populations; otherwise, early diagnosis and targeted antimicrobial treatment remain the primary defenses against these zoonoses.