A neighborhood in the Bronx is being investigated after one individual died and two others became severely ill after acquiring an infection known as Leptospirosis, a relatively rare infection transmitted (among other ways), through the urine of rats.

Leptospirosis is caused by the bacteria Leptospira interrogans, which has some structural similarities to the bacteria that cause both syphilis and Lyme disease.  It is transmitted by the urine of small mammals. This water can ends up in rivers, lakes and streams that humans then interact with. Infection can start mildly, with flu-like symptoms such as fevers, chills, muscle aches, rashes, conjunctivitis and joint pains. Without treatment the bacteria sometimes can migrate into the organs, producing site-specific disease, including fulminant liver failure, kidney dysfunction, meningitis, and pulmonary bleeding. Many of these complications can be fatal. Diagnosis can be achieved via serology tests involving urine and blood samples, and treatment can be as simple as providing penicillin therapy, or doxycycline for those that are penicillin allergic.

It was thought that the spread of this case of Leptospirosis was due to unsanitary conditions within a number of residential buildings within the Bronx, where rats and other vermin appear to be roaming freely among households. Many residents have been evacuated from certain residential complexes, and others have been advised to seek medical care if they develop flu like symptoms in the interim.

New York City has had a long-standing rodent problem for years – indeed, they are prevalent in almost every borough, and can often be seen within the subways and alleys of various streets. Besides Leptospirosis, rats have the potential to carry a number of diseases, including  Plague (Yersinia pestis), Tularemia, Rat-Bite fever, Hantavirus, and other potentially life threatening illnesses. As a response to this most recent scare, the city of New York is stepping up it’s sanitation measures, providing more effective garbage management and increasing the extermination of pests in order to curb the spread of this infection to other parts of the city.

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NYTimes report of story