Rodent Diseases in Kansas: Hantavirus, Leptospirosis and Rat-Bite Fever

Hantavirus

The CDC says the deer mouse is the most common carrier of the hantavirus that causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the United States. People get infected mainly through contact with rodent urine, droppings and saliva, often by breathing in particles stirred up while cleaning. Bites and scratches can spread it too, but the CDC calls that rare.

Symptoms usually appear 1 to 8 weeks after contact. The CDC says about 38 percent of people who develop respiratory symptoms may die.

In Kansas, KDHE's May 2026 health alert says the Sin Nombre virus is endemic, cases are sporadic at 0 to 2 a year, and exposure is mainly in the western half of the state. KDHE also notes infections happen year-round but peak in spring and summer.

Where hantavirus risk is higher around Wichita

Deer mice live in fields, fence rows and woodlots, and they move into outbuildings. Around Wichita, that means the places to be careful are:

• Sheds, barns and detached garages on rural lots around Valley Center, Maize, Goddard, Andover and Haysville
• Cabins, campers and RVs that sit closed for months
• Stored equipment and vehicles
• Any closed building with heavy droppings and nests

Before cleaning, open doors and windows for 30 minutes and leave the area. Then wear gloves, soak droppings and nests with disinfectant, wait 5 minutes and wipe up. Never sweep or vacuum. For vehicles, the CDC says to air them out for 20 minutes.

Leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that infected animals shed in their urine. The CDC lists rodents such as rats and mice among the animals that carry it, along with livestock, dogs and wildlife. The bacteria can survive in water or soil for weeks to months.

People usually get infected through contact with contaminated water or soil, contact with an infected animal's body fluids, or eating or drinking something contaminated by animal urine. Risk rises after floods and heavy rain. Symptoms can include fever, muscle aches, headache, vomiting and red eyes, usually 2 to 30 days after exposure. Antibiotics work best when started early.

Around Wichita, avoid wading in floodwater after heavy storms, wear waterproof boots when cleaning up after flooding and cover cuts.

Rat-bite fever

Rat-bite fever is caused by bacteria that live naturally in rodents such as rats and mice, which show no signs of illness. The CDC says it spreads through bites or scratches, contact with rodent saliva or urine, and eating or drinking contaminated food or water.

Symptoms usually start 3 to 10 days after contact and can show up as late as 21 days, by which time a bite may have healed. In North America, symptoms include fever, vomiting, headache and muscle pain, often with joint pain and a rash on the hands and feet. Antibiotics cure it when started early.

If a rat or mouse bites or scratches you, wash the wound and call a doctor, and mention the rodent contact.

Everyday precautions

• Never sweep or vacuum droppings, urine or nests
• Wear gloves and soak waste with disinfectant before wiping it up
• Throw away food that rodents may have touched
• Do not handle live or dead rodents with bare hands
• Keep pet food and water covered, since pets can pick up leptospirosis too
• Get rodents out and seal the gaps, so exposure does not keep happening

For heavy contamination, professional droppings cleanup is an option. For the rodents themselves, see mouse control or rat control.

Questions Wichita readers ask

Keep reading

• Mouse Droppings: What They Look Like and How to Clean Them Up

  Mouse droppings are 1/8 to 1/4 inch long, like a grain of rice with pointed ends. Here is how to identify them, read what they mean and clean them up without sweeping.

• Rat Droppings: How to Identify Them and What to Do

  Rat droppings are about 1/2 to 3/4 inch long with blunt ends. Here is how to tell them from mouse droppings, judge whether they are fresh and clean them up safely.

• Seasonal Rodent Problems in Wichita: A Year-Round Guide

  Fall brings field mice in from the harvest. Winter keeps them in garages and walls. Spring brings burrows and nests. Summer is the time to seal. Here is what to do each season.

• All rat and mouse articles
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