When you see signs of an opossum invasion in your house, worrying about catching diseases isn't the first thing on your mind; you're far more concerned about removing it from your property before it does some physical damage to it.
However, one would be unwise not to exercise caution when dealing with these animals. True, they aren't the deadliest or the fiercest animals you could encounter in your house, let alone in nature, but the diseases you can catch from them shouldn't be taken lightly. What specific diseases could you catch from them, you ask? Well….
Let's get something clear first
Now I know I just wrote that opossums carry some pretty serious diseases and shouldn't be taken lightly, but the truth of the matter is, this holds true for every single wild animal you could encounter. In fact, statistically speaking, you're less likely to catch a disease from an opossum, an animal with a pretty decent immune system, than you are likely to catch one from rats and birds, both major disease carriers in urban areas.
Also, the majority of the infections you do catch from opossums are caused by bacteria and parasitic organisms that are only using the opossum as a transferring mechanism. So, you see the opossums aren't completely to blame.
Still, if you're dealing with an opossum problem, here are some of the diseases you need to watch it.
Rabies
The most common infection you could catch from opossums is rabies. You know that scary disease you thought only dogs could catch, the one that made them go bonkers and itching to bite anything that moves.
Well turns out if you see an opossum (or any other wild animal really) with frothing at the mouth, there's a high chance they're infected with it. And not just you, your pets are especially at risk, and NEED TO BE KEPT AWAY. After all, neither you nor your pet wants to suffer a slow and painful death from this disease, now do you?
Bacterial infections
Contact with opossums can cause some severe bacterial infections, as the pathogens that were previously hitching a ride on the opossum's fur, breath, and feces, suddenly find a new host (you) to pester.
Some of the nastier (and potentially fatal!) infections you could catch are Tuberculosis and Leptospirosis; the former being a respiratory infection that can cause you to cough up blood on a regular basis, and the latter targeting your liver and kidneys, causing them to fail. You'd be better off without catching them.
Parasitic attacks
If you're the victim of a parasitic attack transmitted by opossums, then you can expect "fun" times ahead with diseases like Toxoplasmosis and Coccidiosis, both of which target your digestive system causing all sorts of problems for you. Not something to look forward to.
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