How Long Can Rat Droppings Remain Infectious?

How Long Can Rat Droppings Remain Infectious?

Wild rat droppings can harbour some nasty infections such as the hantavirus and salmonella bacteria. There are many other infectious agents which can remain active for weeks or months. This means it is important to take precautions against infection regardless of how old the droppings are.

Rat droppings are one of the main causes of food borne infections.

Hantavirus is a common dangerous disease which is present in rat droppings. Hantavirus activity duration is dependent on environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity. Usually it is only 2-3 days. This means you are only likely to catch it from current infestations.

If you are cleaning up rat droppings and urine it is important to wear a respirator, gloves and protective clothing. This includes goggles and overalls. Use disinfectant and don’t breathe in the dust from dry droppings. Hose down dry droppings to prevent the formation of dust. Use a specialist vacuum cleaner which is designed for this task. Otherwise you are at risk of pumping viral particles into the air for you breathe in.

Wipe everything down with strong disinfectant or bleach. Make sure you don't cross-contaminate other items. Wash all fabric items on a hot wash at least at 60 degrees centigrade. Throw out anything which is contaminated and cannot be washed.

You do not want hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. This is one of the most common diseases that is associated with rat droppings. It can be fatal although most people will be fine if treated early. 38% of people die. The signs and symptoms are temperature, headache, vomiting, shortness of breath and muscle aches. As well as these, patients suffer from fatigue, dizziness, diarrhoea and abdominal pain.

Multi-organ failure can also result from the infection. Patients may need ventilator support through intubation. This is because their lungs can be filled with fluid through a process called ARDS. (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome). Renal failure can also occur. Without treatment, these syndromes can rapidly become fatal.

Some diseases such as leptospirosis are killed in rat droppings by drying. However, this does create the possibility of dust forming. If this occurs it increases the risk of breathing in infected particles.

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