These tiny critters harbor disease-causing pathogens and parasites that pose a severe health risk to you, your family, and your pets.
If you hear or see rodent activity in your attic or garage, you may think that it’s a problem for another day. However, rodents like mice and rats are more than just a nuisance. These tiny critters harbor disease-causing pathogens and parasites that pose a severe health risk to you and your family. So the next time you try to ignore that rat problem, you might want to think again.
According to the CDC, rats and mice are known to spread over 35 diseases across the globe. You can get these diseases through direct contact with the rodent or the rodent’s feces, urine, or saliva. You can also get them through scratches or bites from the rodents.
To safeguard your family’s health, contact Titan Pest & Wildlife when you notice any rodent activity in your home.
Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis (LCM)
LCM is a disease carried by the regular house mouse. It’s a disease that’s easily transmissible from one rodent to another. A person can get this disease by directly contacting an infected mouse or its feces and urine. You can also catch LCM by breathing in dust infected with infected mouse urine or feces. LCM is a neurological disease that affects the brain and spine but starts as a simple fever. The disease requires hospitalization and large doses of anti-inflammatory drugs to treat the infection.
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome
Hantavirus is a viral disease spread by deer mice, rice rats, white-footed mice, and cotton rats. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), or hantavirus, is a life-threatening disease caused by Bunyaviruses. The disease affects the lungs, heart, and kidneys and has flu-like symptoms. However, the symptoms worsen over time, and you could find yourself in the ER if you don’t seek early treatment.
Hantavirus spreads through the rodents’ urine, feces, and saliva. The worst part is that you can get hantavirus by just breathing in dust contaminated with the rodents’ urine or feces. That’s why you don’t want any rodents hanging around your home.
Rat-Bite Fever (RBF), or Spirillary Fever
Rat-bite fever is somewhat inaccurate because the disease is more than just a fever. RFB is a disease caused by the bacterium streptobacillus moniliformis. You contract RBF when you get scratched or bitten by an infected rat or when you touch a dead rodent that’s infected. You can also get it by drinking water contaminated by rat urine and feces from an infected rodent. Symptoms include a severe headache, fever, vomiting, and a rash in some people.
Call Titan Pest & Wildlife Solutions
St. Louis are home to many different types of pests, and none of them are welcome in your home or on your property. If you’re dealing with a pest infestation of any kind, don’t wait for it to go away on its own. Protecting your home from pests can be a challenge. Our licensed and certified exterminators are committed to providing our customers with complete pest control solutions.
1 thought on “Dangerous Diseases That Rodents Can Carry and Transmit”