Highly contagious disease contracted from rat urine killing dogs in Sydney could spread to humans

Pest expert reveals the four easy ways you can tell rats are living in your home – as he issues grim warning about deadly disease found in their urine

  • Seven dogs in and around Sydney CBD have died recently due to leptospirosis
  • The disease is also dangerous for humans, who can easily catch it from rats 
  • It is mainly spread through urine and faeces but also spread in the air

A pest expert warned home owners to ‘rat proof’ their properties or risk contracting a highly-contagious disease.

Sydneysiders in particular have been warned to stay on high alert as an increasing amount of rats appear in the CBD due to construction.

Seven dogs in and around the city have died recently due to leptospirosis, a bacterial infection transmitted via rat urine and faeces which is potentially fatal to humans.

A pest expert warned home owners to ‘rat proof’ their properties or risk contracting a highly-contagious disease

Pest control technician Neel Patel (pictured) said people need to be alert to the symptoms of the disease

Pest control technician Neel Patel (pictured) said people need to be alert to the symptoms of the disease

Pest control technician Neel Patel said people need to be alert to the symptoms of the disease.

Leptospirosis can kill pets in just 48 hours. It causes organ failure, swelling of the brain and haemorrhages.

SIGNS THERE COULD BE A RAT INFESTATION IN YOUR HOME 

1. Grease Marks

Check for tell-tale greasy marks on skirting boards and walls. Dirt from the rats body often leaves dark smudges.

2. Droppings/Knaw marks

The most obvious sign is if rat droppings are anywhere in or around your home, or if skirting boards or chair legs have knaw marks.

3. Cardboard or material 

If you see random pieces of cardboard, fabric or soft material scattered around your home, rats could be using it to build a nest.

4. Do the flour test

Sprinkle flour on the floor and later check for foot prints. 

But he said what most people don’t know is that humans can also catch the potentially deadly disease. 

‘Rodents carry potentially deadly diseases which can be passed to humans, from leptospirosis to Weil’s disease, to salmonella, hantavirus, rat bite fever and even rat tapeworm,’ Mr Patel said. 

‘Humans can become infected just by inhaling air that contains particles of rat urine and faeces, meaning the vermin pose a serious health risk.  

He said the most common illness transmitted from rats to humans is Weil’s disease, which can result in organ failure, internal bleeding and death.  

‘Some rat tapeworm infections don’t actually have any symptoms – you might have one in your intestine without even knowing about it.

‘But you should be on the look-out for restless sleep, loss of appetite, pain in the abdomen, and even itching in the nose and private parts, as these could also be a sign that something isn’t quite right.’

He said humans are typically worse off when they come into contact with infected urine, faeces, blood or saliva, but that inhaling contaminated air can be just as dangerous.  

‘If you suspect rats have taken up home in your property, and you experience chest pains, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills or a strange rash, you should seek medical help,’ he said.

At least 50 Australians this year have contracted leptospirosis in addition to the seven dogs who have died this year in Sydney.

Pet-owner Allan Quinnell, 57, lost his nine-year-old American Staffy-Shar Pei cross Bu to leptospirosis just two weeks ago.

Nine-year-old Staffy-mix Bu died after being diagnosed with the deadly disease that is spread through rat urine

Lux, a 10-year-old Greyhound also died after the diagnosis

Nine-year-old Staffy-mix Bu (left) and ten-year-old Greyhound Lux (right) died after being diagnosed with the deadly disease that is spread through rat urine 

He said he would walk his support dog through a dirty alleyway in Darlinghurst daily because it was near their apartment block.

 ‘The number of rats [in that] alley were [of] plague proportions.. Rubbish was overflowing from bins and left like that, in many cases, for days,’ he previously said.  

A NSW Health spokeswoman said most cases reported are from regional areas ‘often in association with floods or mouse plagues’.

‘The most effective way to prevent any transmission from infected pets or another source of the infection to humans is for people to wash their hands with soap after touching animals,’ she said.

‘Keep cuts and scratches covered when there is a chance they could come in contact with animal urine.’

WHAT IS WEIL’S DISEASE AND HOW TO SPOT THE SYMPTOMS 

Weil’s disease is a form of a bacterial infection also known as leptospirosis. 

It is carried by animals, most commonly in rats and cattle.

It can be caught by humans through contact with rat or cattle urine, most commonly through contaminated fresh water.

It attacks the kidney and liver, before making its way through the organs. 

The disease can be transmitted through cuts and scratches or the lining of the mouth, throat or eyes.

Symptoms include a high temperature, (usually between 38 and 40°C), chills, sudden headaches, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, muscle pain (particularly in the calves and lower back), conjunctivitis (irritation and redness of the eyes), a cough and a short-lived rash. 

Olympic rowing champion Andy Holmes died of Weil’s disease in 2010 aged 51, after it is believed the bacteria entered his body through blisters on his hands.  

 



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