Rodent diseases in Texas: what rats and mice can spread

Published November 4, 2026

Hantavirus spreads mainly by breathing particles from rodent urine and droppings. Leptospirosis spreads through water or soil contaminated with infected animals' urine. Rat-bite fever follows bites, scratches or contaminated food. Murine typhus in Texas is tied to rats and their fleas. Sealing, trapping and wet cleanup lower the risk.

Keep it in proportion

Rats and mice can carry diseases that affect people. Most households that deal with rodents never get sick. The risk goes up with how much contact you have, especially when you clean up droppings and nests or handle dead rodents. A few precautions cover most of it.

This article covers the main diseases tied to rodents in Texas and what official health sources say about them. It’s general information, not medical advice. If you’re sick after rodent contact, see a doctor and mention it.

Hantavirus

The CDC’s fact sheet on hantavirus pulmonary syndrome names the deer mouse as the main reservoir in the United States. Infected rodents shed the virus in urine, droppings and saliva. People get infected mainly by breathing in tiny particles from that material, which happens when dried droppings and nesting material get stirred up. It can also happen when the material gets into broken skin, the nose or the mouth. Bites are a rare route.

The fact sheet says hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the U.S. can’t be passed from person to person, and that farm animals, dogs, cats and pet-store rodents aren’t known to spread it.

Deer mice are more of a rural concern than a city one. Around Waco, that means closed-up sheds, barns, cabins and storage buildings on acreage toward China Spring, McGregor and Robinson. Opening and cleaning those buildings is when to be most careful.

Symptoms the CDC lists as warning signs: fever, deep muscle aches and severe shortness of breath after rodent exposure. See a doctor right away and mention the exposure.

Leptospirosis

The CDC’s leptospirosis fact sheet says the disease spreads through water or soil contaminated with the urine or body fluids of infected animals, and through direct contact with that urine. Many animals spread it, and rodents are on the list along with raccoons, opossums, dogs, cattle and others. Cuts and scrapes on the skin raise the risk.

Symptoms can start anywhere from 2 days to 4 weeks after exposure and include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, diarrhea and red eyes, according to the CDC.

In Waco, think about this after heavy rain, when water stands in yards and low spots near creeks and the river. Avoid wading through standing water, wear gloves and boots when cleaning up after a flood, and keep cuts covered. The CDC also recommends talking to a veterinarian about leptospirosis vaccines for pets.

Rat-bite fever

The CDC says rat-bite fever spreads through scratches, bites or contact with a rodent’s saliva or urine, and through eating or drinking food or liquid contaminated with it. Rats, mice and some other rodents can carry the bacteria without looking sick.

Most people at higher risk handle rodents regularly: pet rat owners and people who work with rodents. For a homeowner, the lesson is simple: don’t handle live rodents, don’t grab a trapped rat with bare hands and throw out food rodents got into. If you’re bitten or scratched, wash it and see a doctor.

Murine typhus

Murine typhus, also called flea-borne typhus, is caused by bacteria carried by fleas. Texas state health material explains that infected flea feces carry the organism, and people get infected when it enters a flea bite or a scratch. Rats and their fleas are the main reservoir, and opossums and domestic cats may also be involved.

The same material says most Texas cases occur in South Texas, from Nueces County south to the Rio Grande Valley, with a few cases elsewhere each year. Its prevention advice applies anywhere: keep the yard free of conditions that let rodents, opossums and stray cats live there, keep rodents out of the house and treat for fleas before starting rodent control, because fleas leave dying rodents and look for new hosts.

How to lower the risk

The steps that lower the risk of all four are the same steps that solve the rodent problem.

Seal the gaps so rodents can’t get in. The hole size article shows where to look.

Trap with snap traps, not glue traps. The CDC says glue and live traps can scare rodents and cause them to urinate, increasing the chance of exposure.

Clean up the CDC way: air the space out for 30 minutes, wear gloves, spray droppings and nests with disinfectant or a fresh bleach solution, wait 5 minutes and wipe up. Don’t sweep or vacuum. The droppings cleanup page has the full steps.

Handle dead rodents with gloves, spray them first and double-bag them. The CDC also suggests insect repellent, since fleas are common on rodents. See dead rodent smell for what to do when one dies out of reach.

Store food in sealed containers and throw out anything rodents got into.

When to call for help

Heavy contamination, like an attic full of droppings, a closed-up shed on acreage or a crawl space after a flood, is safer with a provider who has respirators and coveralls. So is any job where someone in the house has a weakened immune system. The seasonal problems article covers when Waco homes see the most rodent activity.