Rats are a type of rodent that often reside near human settlements. They can harm and spoil agricultural produce and stored food, while also posing a risk of disease transmission.
The organisms responsible for plague and one type of typhus are transmitted to humans by the bites of rat fleas. Leptospirosis (Weil’s disease) is caused by contact with anything contaminated with rat’s urine.
Rat-bite fever is an uncommon ailment passed on directly through a rat’s bite. It exists in two forms, each caused by distinct bacteria. Common symptoms are swelling at the bite location, as well as in adjacent lymph nodes and blood vessels, episodes of fever, and a skin rash. One form also features painful inflammation of the joints. Antibiotics are used to treat both variations of the disease.
The rabies virus can spread through bites from rats carrying the infection. Lassa fever, another viral illness, can be acquired from contact with the urine of infected rats, particularly in West Africa. Rats are also vectors for lymphocytic chorio-meningitis, a viral condition, as well as the bacterial disease known as tularaemia.