Damage Caused by Rodent Infestations

• Contamination: Rats and mice contaminate food with their feces and urine, which they happily deposit throughout your home. Just one rat can defecate up to 60 times in one day, creating many opportunities for bacteria to grow. What’s more, the odor emitted from droppings attracts other rodents if not cleaned properly.
• Chewing and nesting: Rats chew to keep their teeth sharpened, and they will chew on anything they can get their hands on. Baseboards in your living room, roof boards in your attic — nothing is safe. It is common for rats to chew electrical wiring all the way down to the copper, leaving a dangerous fire hazard. Nesting rats and mice often use tufts of insulation to build their homes, which leads to insulation damage and inefficient heating and cooling.
• Secondary infestations: Rats and mice bring fleas, flies, and ticks indoors with them, causing a secondary infestation of pests. Each of these secondary pests spread disease, in addition to the rodents.

Diseases Spread by Rodents

Rodents have the ability to spread nearly any disease to humans, and many of these diseases cause death. 

Some of the most common diseases are as follows:

• Hanatvirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS): This disease is spread by several different species of mice and rats. This disease spreads directly through contact with their droppings or indirectly by inhaling contaminated dust. HPS starts out with flu-like symptoms and ends with severe respiratory damage or death.
• Leptospirosis: This bacterial infection spreads to humans through contaminated food and water. Leptospirosis causes a wide range of mild symptoms in its first phase, including nausea, diarrhea, and rashes. Occasionally, the infection returns and can cause kidney and liver failure or meningitis.
• Lymphocytic chorio-meningitis (LCM): This disease spreads by direct or indirect contact with contaminated dust from mice. Initial infection may cause flu-like symptoms, and second phases of infection may cause meningitis and encephalitis.
• Salmonellosis: This bacterial infection spreads through food and drinking water contaminated with both rat and mouse droppings. Salmonellosis is common and causes an array of symptoms, including diarrhea, fever, and vomiting.

In addition to diseases like these, rats and mice spread plagues and other viruses. Some of these diseases do not have treatments or cures, and most treatments are strictly supportive during the recovery period. If you see signs of a rodent infestation in your home, it is important to seek professional mice extermination services for thorough extermination and cleaning.