News about rat urine disease reported in local online news portal
The recent outbreak of rat urine disease or leptospirosis in Kedah and Pahang may have frighten some of the pet rat owners out there. Let's us first learn a little about this disease from the infamous Wiki. Leptospirosis, also known as Weil's disease, Weil's syndrome, Rat Catcher's Yellows and Pretibial fever, is a bacterial zoonotic disease which can affect humans, other mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. Leptopspitosis is caused by spirochaete bacterium call Leptospira spp.. The disease is said to be a relative rare bacterial infection in humans and the infection is commonly transmitted to humans by allowing water that has been contaminated by animal urine to come in contact with unhealed breaks in the skin, eyes or with the mucous membranes. Although rats, mice and moles are important primary hosts, there are plenty of animals such as dogs, deer, rabbits, hedgehogs, cows, sheep, racoons, possums, skunks, and certain marine mammals are able to carry and transmit the disease as secondary hosts. Symptoms of leptospirosis include high fever, severe headache, chills, muscle aches, and vomiting, and may include jaundice, red eyes, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and rash. The symptoms will appear 4-14 days after contracting the disease. If not treated or wrongly diagnosed, the patient may face meningitis, liver damage, and renal failure and eventually lead to death. One can prevent this disease by staying out from high risk area. So here's the question, will we get leptospirosis from our pet rats? The answer is yes and no. Yes, if your pet rat has already contracted the disease before you have even brought him/her home. If your house is free of wild rodents, there is almost zero chance that your pet rat is carrying the bacteria. Bear in mind that not only rats and rodents can carry the bacteria, other house pets or even human may be carrier for the bacteria. If anyone in the house is found with the disease, everyone should be treated as well. As long as you keep an eye on their whereabouts and keep their food and water clean, you are all safe from this horrible disease.
