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- How rats infect humans
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- Rat disease
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- Precautionary measures
Rats love to settle in houses and apartments. Human housing is warm and comfortable, you can always find food there, regardless of the time of year. Such a neighborhood is extremely dangerous for people. Pests spoil food and furniture, gnaw through wires, interfere with sleep at night and suffer diseases that can lead to death.
How does infection happen?
A person can introduce an infectious disease into the body by tasting the product on which the rat stomped. The hair and paws of these animals are not sterile and are the "home" for many pathogens.
Other sources of infection include:
- Bite. The rodent is able to attack a person. Animals even pack in packs to attack a large enemy. If rats attacked humans, rat bite diseases often occur in a complex form and are fatal if left untreated.
- Feces of mice and rats. Pests do not look for a special place to do their own thing. They defecate immediately on food. Animal feces contain bacteria that cause dangerous diseases.
- Fleas. Small insects that live on rats bite humans. A bite becomes a funnel for the penetration of pathogenic bacteria and viruses.
- Air. Infection can occur through the respiratory system. Therefore, do not bring rodents to the face.
You can get a dose of pathogenic bacteria from any rat species. Decorative rats are also unsafe. The chance of infection from them is minimal, but he is. Therefore, you should follow a few simple rules for communicating with the animal: wash your hands after playing with your pet, do not bring it to your face, keep the cage away from food.
What diseases does the rat suffer?
The list of diseases that can be picked up from a rodent living in the houses of even large cities (such as Moscow or St. Petersburg) is impressive. If after meeting with pasyuk or black rat, you feel unwell, you should immediately contact an infectious disease specialist.
On a note!
The first symptoms of the disease appear within two days. A person has a fever, chills and joint pain. Many fatal illnesses are similar in flu symptoms. But if there was contact with a rodent, it is necessary to inform the doctor about this.
The doctor will conduct an examination and prescribe an antibiotic. Without treatment, the disease will progress further and lead to death.
Leptospirosis
People call the infection “rat disease”. The causative agents are leptospira, the owner of which is a wild rodent. Infection gets through the wounds. Wild rat it is enough to bite a person once so that he becomes infected. Leptospira enter the body through the slightest damage to the skin.
The bacterium secretes toxins that affect blood coagulation. The patient has to endure a strong thirst. He cannot eat and sleep. His body temperature rises, causing severe chills.
On a note!
The peak incidence comes in the fall.
The first symptoms of leptospirosis resemble a common ARI:
- temperature 39-40 degrees;
- body pain;
- nausea.
The main sign of the disease is pain in the calf muscles. After a week, the face begins to swell, the eyes turn red. Leptospirosis is difficult to tolerate and takes a long time to treat. Mortality from this disease is ten percent. Therefore, it is necessary to visit a doctor at the first sign. Antimicrobials are prescribed for treatment.
Rabies
People who encounter a rat in their home begin to worry if rats are sick with rabies. Misfortune overtakes any mammal: dog, cat, fox. Rodents are also susceptible to disease and can infect humans through a bite.
On a note!
If you or a child was bitten by a rabid rat, you should immediately consult a doctor. The doctor will prescribe vaccines that will save your life.
A sick animal behaves aggressively, makes chaotic movements, attacks sharply and unexpectedly. Viscous saliva flows from the jaws. A rabid mouse or rat can attack inanimate objects. His head and tail are lowered. The jaw does not close. Rabies in rats leads to the death of the animal ten days after the infection reaches the brain tissue.
Tularemia
The disease is contagious. It affects the lymph nodes and skin. Patient with tularemia feels:
- chills;
- pain in the limbs;
- headache;
- fever
- dizziness.
Rat vectors infected with tularemia behave apathetically and do not leave the nest. The animal dies in 3-4 days. Infection occurs through the bite or bloodsucking insects.
Typhoid fever
Rodents are not affected by this disease. They are only carriers. But a person experiences an ailment on himself in full. He feels chills, body temperature rises to 40 degrees. Nausea and vomiting appear. Vision is falling.
On a note!
Typhoid fever is transmitted by airborne droplets. To reduce the risk of infection, do not bring rats close to your face.
It is not easy to transfer the disease. An antibiotic is prescribed for treatment.
What diseases do decorative rats suffer?
Pet rat lovers often hear that their pets are carriers of serious illnesses. Therefore, they want to know what diseases are transmitted by rats living at home in cages.
Pets that are not in the fresh air, in rare cases, become carriers of pathogenic bacteria. A rat can be infected by its own host. A mammal that has eaten unwashed weed or vegetables can catch salmonella, and then, playing on the dining table, transmit the infection to humans.
Simple rules must be followed to avoid illness:
- Wash hands after contact with pet.
- Do not put the cage with the rat near food and do not allow the animal to run around the common table, eat from your plate. These measures will help prevent contact. rat litter to food.
- Feed your pet only fresh food. Wash vegetables, fruits, greens.
If you are going to become the owner of a rat, then buy the animal from a trusted seller. Do not take animals in the "bird markets". Better to make a purchase at a pet store. Diseases from decorative rodents are transmitted only when the owner does not monitor his animals and does not follow the rules of hygiene.
Pasyuki - not harmless animals. Protecting their territory, they even attack people and inflict painful wounds. Through bites, diseases are transmitted from rats to humans. Many of them are difficult and can cause death. If rat has bitten a man, it is necessary to treat the wound and seek the help of a doctor.
