How urban rats spread deadly bacteria as they migrate – The NAU Review

Rats are well known for carrying diseases. And as they migrate in cities, they spread bacteria that could be life-threatening to humans, according to a six-year study co-authored by Nate Stone , a Ph.D. student turned research scientist at NAU’s Pathogen & Microbiome Institute, and Dave Wagner , PMI’s executive director. The pair worked on the research alongside colleagues at NAU, Tufts University, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.   The study found that urban rats carry a type of bacteria that causes leptospirosis, a disease that sometimes damages the liver and kidneys and could lead to death in humans. The disease-causing bacteria are spread through rats’ urine in soil, water and other parts of urban environments, where they can become a source of infection and contamination for humans, dogs and other species. The bacteria are most common in tropical regions—but rising temperatures from climate change could cause them to become more prevalent.    Researchers found that leptospirosis persists in Boston rat populations, and different strains of the bacteria move around the city as groups of rats migrate. In addition, the scientists’ genetic analysis of a 2018 human leptospirosis case in Boston
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