Which diseases can be spread by rodents or the parasites they carry?

Rodents serve as important reservoirs for various diseases that can be transmitted to humans, either directly through contact with contaminated materials or indirectly via parasites like fleas, ticks, and mites that they carry.123

Diseases Spread by Rodents and Their Parasites

Rodents are known to harbor or facilitate the spread of several significant illnesses:

• Plague: A bacterial disease transmitted to humans primarily through the bites of infected fleas that have fed on rodents, particularly rats.124
• Hantavirus: Humans can contract hantavirus pulmonary syndrome by inhaling airborne particles from the urine, droppings, or saliva of infected rodents, such as deer mice.3
• Typhus: Various forms, including murine typhus and scrub typhus, are spread by parasites like fleas and mites that live on rodents.25
• Tularemia: This bacterial disease can be transmitted through contact with infected animals, including rabbits and rodents, or via the bites of ticks and deerflies.26
• Other Infections: Rodents are also associated with the spread of rat-bite fever, Lassa fever, babesiosis, and rickettsialpox.256

It is essential to maintain clean environments and seal buildings to reduce human exposure to these animals and their associated parasites.3