Worldwide, rodents are known to carry and spread over 35 harmful diseases, both directly and indirectly. Direct means are handling live or dead rodents, eating contaminated food, contact with droppings and urine, breathing in air or dust contaminated with disease-causing agents (germs), and rodent bites. Arthropods like fleas, ticks, and mites can spread diseases indirectly.
What are the most common health risks that can be spread by mice and rats? diseases caused by rats & mice droppings?
Hantavirus
It is a deadly diseases caused by rats & mice that is transmitted to humans through direct contact with contaminated surfaces and droppings or inhalation of contaminated dust. Rodent prevention is the key to protection against this disease.
Hantavirus symptoms include fever, fatigue, and muscle pain.
Bubonic plague
This is a serious illness, also known as the Black Death, that killed one-third of the population in Europe during the Middle Ages. The disease-causing agent is the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which is spread by infected fleas and contact with infected rodents. So, both rodent control and prevention and flea control inside and around houses are very important to reduce the risk of plague.
Fever, headaches, chills, and weakness are all symptoms of bubonic plague, as are one or more swollen, painful lymph nodes (called buboes).
Salmonellosis
It’s a type of bacterial disease caused by consuming food items that are contaminated with Salmonella. This bacterium lives in the rodent intestine and spreads and contaminates foods through the droppings of mice and rats. Like with other diseases mentioned, a precise rodent management plan that controls mice and rats around your property and prevents them from entering inside is essential to stop this disease.
Symptoms of salmonellosis include abdominal pain, fever, and diarrhea.
Rat-bite fever
It is a deadly rodent disease caused by bacteria, Streptobacillus moniliformis and Spirillum minus, which is spread through contact with infected or dead rodents or by consuming contaminated foods, almost similar to Salmonellosis.
Fever, vomiting, headache, and muscle pain are all signs of rat-bite fever.
Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome
This is a viral disease spread through different ways, including contact with mice and rats’ droppings and breathing in dust contaminated with rodent droppings.
Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome symptoms: intense headaches, back and abdominal pain, fever, chills, nausea, and blurred vision.
Another viral disease spread by rats through contact with rodents and mice droppings, breathing in dust contaminated with rodent droppings, consuming contaminated foods, and rodent bites may be person to person.
Symptoms of Lassa fever include fever, general weakness, and malaise.
Leptospirosis
It’s another deadly rat disease that occurs worldwide and spreads through consuming and contacting foods contaminated with infected animals and their urine.
High fever, headache, bleeding, muscle pain, chills, red eyes, and vomiting are leptospirosis symptoms.
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM)
lymphocytic choriomeningitis is a worldwide viral disease caused by rats & mice, which is spread through direct contact with mice or their droppings, mice bites, and breathing in contaminated dust.
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM) symptoms include fever, stiff neck, a lack of appetite, muscle aches, headache, nausea, and vomiting.
Omsk hemorrhagic fever
Another viral disease caused by rats which is spread through contact with infected rats and indirectly through bites from infected ticks.
Chills, fever, nausea, headache, and muscle pain are among the symptoms of Omsk hemorrhagic fever.
Tularemia
Francisella tularensis is a worldwide bacterial disease caused by rats & mice , which is spread through contact with dead rodents, consuming contaminated foods, and breathing in contaminated dust. It’s also spread indirectly by arthropods like insects and ticks.
Tularemia symptoms include skin ulcers, swollen and painful lymph glands, inflamed eyes, sore throat, mouth sores, diarrhea, or pneumonia.
Lyme disease
Borrelia burgdorferi is a bacterial disease caused by rats and mice and transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks, which live on infected rodents.
A rash, often in a bull’s-eye pattern, and flu-like symptoms are common Lyme disease symptoms. Joint pain and limb weakness are also possible side effects.
These are not the only risk factors associated with rodent activity. They also cause significant property damage and fires, as mentioned before. So, the presence of rodents inside properties and vacant spaces are much more dangerous than you usually think. Rodent prevention should be considered as the first step, followed by other control measures to keep them away from properties and vacant spaces. For complete rodent removal and control and also disease prevention, precise and professional rodent and vector management plans are required.
Source:
