Which disease is carried by rats?

• A. Leptospirosis
• B. Malaria
• C. Lyme Disease
• D. Tuberculosis

Answer: (A)

Rats are a well-known reservoir for leptospirosis, a bacterial infection caused by Leptospira species. Transmission usually happens when skin or mucous membranes contact water or soil contaminated with rat urine, often after flooding or in sewage-adjacent environments. The disease can cause fever, headache, and body aches, and may progress to more serious organ involvement if not treated. This makes leptospirosis the best choice for a disease carried by rats because the risk comes from environmental contamination stemming from the rat reservoir, not from insects or direct human-to-human transmission.

Malaria is spread by Anopheles mosquitoes, not rats. Lyme disease is transmitted by Ixodes ticks. Tuberculosis spreads primarily through airborne droplets between people.