Californian Dies from Rare Disease After 'Trapping, Feeding and Breeding Wild Rats' in an RV
Californian Dies from Rare Disease After 'Trapping, Feeding and Breeding Wild Rats' in an RV
Rachel RaposasFri, June 12, 2026 at 6:32 PM UTC
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Rats.Credit: Getty -
A California resident died from leptospirosis after living in an RV infested with wild rats
The bacterial disease, spread through infected animals' urine, is very rare in humans but can spread through contact with infected body fluids
Berkeley, Calif., city manager Paul Buddenhagen said there is very little risk to public health, as person-to-person infection is extremely uncommon
A California resident has died after coming into contact with several rats.
On June 10, Berkeley city manager Paul Buddenhagen warned of the existence of leptospirosis in some of the city's rats after the first human death was linked to the rare disease last month, per his memo shared with Berkeley officials on June 10. Though leptospirosis poses very little public health risk, Buddenhagen proposed several measures to increase awareness and research around the city's rats to prevent future infections.
Leptospirosis is a treatable bacterial disease that is spread through the body fluids of infected animals and can be contracted if humans come into contact with infected body fluids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Rats.Credit: Getty
The risk of a human contracting the disease is higher for people experiencing homelessness or living in a space with rats or animal urine, per the CDC. This was likely the case with the Berkeley individual who died of leptospirosis, and their living partner who also contracted the disease, Buddenhagen wrote.
"Both individuals lived together in a recreational vehicle in which they had been trapping, feeding and breeding wild rats," Buddenhagen wrote in the memo. "In addition, the vehicle was severely infested with wild rats that were not in cages."
Both of the residents in the RV, parked near the Harrison Street encampment, grew sick, but neither sought out medical treatment "for weeks and possibly months." Both were eventually transported to a hospital to receive care.
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One individual died not long after they were hospitalized, Buddenhagen wrote, while the other recovered with treatment.
During their hospitalization, Alameda County Vector Control laid rat traps in and around the RV and sealed the vehicle, only opening it to remove the dead rats. They repeated the process several times over many days until they were certain no rats remained, and then the vehicle was towed and destroyed.
Rats.Credit: Getty
"Continuous trapping and testing by Alameda County Vector Control revealed a persistently high prevalence of leptospirosis in wild rats around the RV, exceeding expected urban baselines," the memo read.
Buddenhagen reiterated that there is an "extremely low" risk to the public, and the recent death was the result of an "extreme situation." Person-to-person infection is rare, and there have been no recorded cases at the Harrison Street encampment and no evidence of transmission from rats to other animals.
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Source: “AOL Breaking”
