Table 1: Diseases transmitted from Norway rats to man

Parasite Disease of Man % rats carrying disease
Helminths
Capillaria spp Capillariasis 23
Toxocara cati Toxocariasis 15
Hymenolepis nana Rat tapeworm 11
Bacteria
Leptospira spp Leptospirosis 14
Listeria spp Listeriosis 11
Yersinia enterocolitica Yersiniosis 11
Pasteurella spp Pasteurellosis 6
Pseudomonas spp Melioidosis 4
Coxiella burnetii (antibodies) Q Fever 34
Protozoa
Cryptosporidium parvum Cryptosporidiosis 63
Toxoplasma gondii Toxoplasmosis 35
Virus (antibodies)
Hantavirus Hantaan-fever 4
Adapted from J.P.Webster and D.W.Macdonald
(1995), Parasites of wild brown rats, Rattus norvegicus. Parasitology 109:
37-43.