Greater Bandicoot Rats and Other Small Rats Are NOT the Same
No, Greater Bandicoot rats (Bandicota species) and other small rats are taxonomically distinct rodents with different disease transmission profiles and public health risks that require differentiated control strategies.
Taxonomic and Biological Differences
The Greater Bandicoot rat belongs to the genus Bandicota, which is phylogenetically separate from common rats like Rattus rattus (house rat) and Rattus norvegicus (Norway rat) 1. Recent molecular phylogenetic analysis demonstrates that the Bandicota/Nesokia clade should be excluded from the Rattus genus, confirming they are distinct evolutionary lineages 1.
Key Distinguishing Features:
- Bandicota species (including B. bengalensis and B. indica) are larger, more robust rodents commonly found in agricultural fields and rural areas 2, 3
- Rattus species (house rats and Norway rats) are typically associated with urban and peridomestic environments 4
- Bandicota rats show different susceptibility profiles to rodenticides compared to Rattus species, requiring adjusted control strategies 3
Disease Transmission Differences
Hantavirus Risk Profile
Critical distinction: Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the United States is caused by viruses carried by New World rodents (subfamily Sigmodontinae), NOT by Bandicota or Rattus species 4. The CDC specifically identifies deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), white-footed mice (P. leucopus), cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus), and rice rats (Oryzomys palustris) as HPS hosts 4. House mice and black/Norway rats (subfamily Murinae) are explicitly stated as NOT generally associated with HPS transmission 4.
Parasitic Infections
Bandicota species carry distinct parasitic profiles:
- B. bengalensis shows 35.3% endoparasitic infection rates with helminths including Cysticercus fasciolaris and Moniliformis moniliformis 2
- B. indica serves as a definitive host for Angiostrongylus cantonensis (rat lungworm), with 43% infection rates documented in Indonesia 5
- Both Bandicota and Rattus species can transmit parasites, but species-specific infection patterns differ 2
Zoonotic Disease Transmission
Both rodent groups can transmit:
- Rat-bite fever (Streptobacillus moniliformis) through bites 4
- Cowpox and other poxviruses through direct contact 4
- Ectoparasites including Sarcoptes scabiei mites and fleas carrying tapeworms 4
- Leptospirosis through contact with contaminated materials 4
Public Health Control Implications
Rodenticide Selection
Bandicota species require specific anticoagulant concentrations:
- Brodifacoum and difenacoum at 0.002-0.005% achieve complete mortality with 1-day feeding 3
- Coumatetralyl at 0.005-0.01% requires 4 days feeding for 100% kill 3
- Bandicota shows greater susceptibility to warfarin than R. norvegicus, but anticoagulants should be alternated with acute toxicants to prevent resistance 3
Habitat-Based Risk Assessment
The CDC emphasizes that rodent control strategies must account for species-specific habitat preferences 4:
- Bandicota species predominantly inhabit agricultural fields and rural areas 2
- Rattus species are more commonly peridomestic in urban/suburban settings 4
- Deer mice and white-footed mice (HPS hosts) commonly enter human habitation in rural areas 4
Critical Clinical Pitfall
Do not assume all "rats" carry the same disease risks. When evaluating rodent exposure for disease transmission risk, species identification is essential 4. The most dangerous assumption is treating all rodent exposures as equivalent—hantavirus risk assessment specifically requires identifying whether exposure involved New World sigmodontine rodents versus Old World murines like Bandicota or Rattus 4.
Exposure Risk Reduction
Regardless of species, the CDC recommends 4:
- Eliminate rodent infestations through proper sanitation and exclusion
- Avoid closed-space exposure to active rodent infestations
- Use proper protective equipment when cleaning rodent-contaminated areas
- Rodent-proof human dwellings to prevent peridomestic colonization