Can rats carry or transmit rabies?

From the Guidelines

Rats are extremely unlikely to carry or transmit rabies. While technically possible, rats and other small rodents like mice, squirrels, and chipmunks are not known to be reservoirs for the rabies virus in the United States or most parts of the world [ 1 ]. This is because small rodents typically do not survive attacks from rabid animals long enough to develop the disease themselves. Additionally, their small size means that if bitten by a rabid animal, they would likely sustain such severe injuries that they would die before the virus could replicate and become transmissible.

Key Points to Consider

• The rabies virus primarily circulates among larger mammals such as raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats in North America [ 1 ].
• If you are bitten by a rat, you should clean the wound thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical attention, but rabies post-exposure prophylaxis is rarely recommended for rat bites unless the rat was acting unusually aggressive or was known to have been in contact with rabid animals [ 1 ].
• The greater health concerns with rat bites are bacterial infections and other diseases like rat-bite fever rather than rabies.

Recommendations for Practice

• Local governments should initiate and maintain effective programs to ensure vaccination of all dogs, cats, and ferrets and to remove strays and unwanted animals [ 1 ].
• Animal shelters and animal-control authorities should establish policies to ensure that adopted animals are vaccinated against rabies [ 1 ].

From the FDA Drug Label

Other Wild Animals Small rodents (e.g., squirrels, chipmunks, rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, and gerbils) and lagomorphs (including rabbits and hares) are rarely infected with rabies and have not been known to transmit rabies to humans. Bites from squirrels, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, chipmunks, rats, mice, other small rodents, rabbits, and hares almost never require antirabies post-exposure prophylaxis.

Rats are unlikely to carry or transmit rabies. According to the FDA drug label 2, small rodents like rats are rarely infected with rabies and have not been known to transmit the disease to humans. Therefore, bites from rats almost never require antirabies post-exposure prophylaxis.

From the Research

Rabies Transmission and Rats

• There is no direct evidence in the provided studies that rats can carry or transmit rabies.
• The studies focus on rabies postexposure prophylaxis, epidemiology, pathogenesis, and diagnosis, but do not specifically mention rats as carriers or transmitters of the disease 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
• The main reservoirs for rabies mentioned in the studies are wildlife such as raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes, as well as dogs 5.
• The transmission of rabies is mainly through the bite of rabid animals and the saliva of infected hosts 5.

Relevant Information on Rabies

• Rabies is a fatal, zoonotic disease that affects all warm-blooded animals and is prevalent throughout the world, except in islands like Australia and Antarctica 5.
• The incubation period of rabies is highly variable, ranging from 2 weeks to 6 years, with an average of 2-3 months 5.
• Postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) is crucial in preventing the development of rabies after exposure to the virus, and includes wound washing, administration of rabies immunoglobulin, and vaccination 3, 4, 6, 7.