Woman dies after being scratched by rat .

[Guest buster321c]

A woman has died from a rare disease after she was scratched by a rat that she was trying to free from her garden bird feeder.

Carol Colburn, 56, ignored pleas from her husband to wear gloves and suffered scratches and cuts to her fingers as she struggled to free the rodent from the wire feeder. Four days later she developed flu-like symptoms, and within 48 hours she was dead.

An inquest heard she had contracted Weil's disease, a severe form of leptospirosis, which is caused by bacteria found in the urine of wild animals.

In most cases of leptospirosis, sufferers experience severe headaches and flu-like symptoms. Weil's disease, which affects around 10 per cent of lepto­spirosis victims, causes jaundice and liver damage, and can be fatal.

About 50 confirmed cases of Weil's disease are reported to the Public Health Authority each year but in 2006 just two people died from the condition.

In a statement given to the inquest, Mrs Colburn's husband, Peter, who has since died of lung cancer, said she had rushed outside after hearing the rat screaming. Ignoring requests from him and their son, Ross, to put gloves on, she grappled with the animal as she tried to free it.

She began feeling unwell and later became jaundiced and could not move.

Marc Cubbon, a microbiologist at the Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton, told Brighton Coroners' Court that humans can become infected if they come into contact with the animal's urine, either in soil or in water, or if they come into contact with the animal's skin and they have an open wound.

He said it was also possible that humans might be able to inhale the disease.

He said that after a conversation with Mrs Colburn at 2pm on May 8, he had begun considering leptospirosis. By 5pm, she had died from a heart attack, before either of her daughters, Katrina, 27, and Zoe, 30, were able to get to hospital.

Katrina, 27, said: "My mum spent hours in the garden feeding wild animals and wouldn't have given it a second thought.

"It has come as such a shock and seems like such a shame that trying to rescue an animal should have such dire consequences."

Recording a narrative verdict, Arthur Hooper, the deputy coroner for Brighton and Hove, said: "The public should be made aware of the dangers of leaving food out, deliberately or unintentionally, that might attract animals like rats. If you must come into contact with rats please wear gloves."

[stig 2]

Thats was in my town.Bloody mental the mindset of people these days.

[Malt 379]

Who in their right mind would try to free an entangled rat with their bare hands? I wouldn't have even tried it with gloves on, I'd have whacked the fecking thing off with a large stick.

Common sense isn't so common these days, sadly.

[Guest buster321c]

But alas it just shows that in `this day and age ` you can die from a disease , contracted accidently ( mainly through foolishness ) that your dog should be vaccinated against . tI really is a shame , but people should realise that danger is an ever present threat when handling ` wild creatures ` So wear your gloves people

[droid 11]

If you read the piece carefully, you don't need direct contact with the animal, just it's urine.

 

It was a worry caving in the Mendips a few years back, as you occasionally get rats in cave entrances. Most Mendip cavers wear gloves.

[rabbithunter2008 0]

Even fishing with rats on the banks or in the water can be enough to catch it!

 

If you go down to Holme Pierrepont National Water Sports Center there are signs warning of it

[Guest buster321c]

If you read the piece carefully, you don't need direct contact with the animal, just it's urine.

 

It was a worry caving in the Mendips a few years back, as you occasionally get rats in cave entrances. Most Mendip cavers wear gloves.

 

Leptospirosis is transmitted by the urine of an infected animal, and is contagious as long as it is still moist. Although rats, mice and voles are important primary hosts, a wide range of other mammals including dogs, deer, rabbits, hedgehogs, cows, sheep, raccoons, possums, skunks, and even certain marine mammals are also able to carry and transmit the disease as secondary hosts. Dogs may lick the urine of an infected animal off the grass or soil, or drink from an infected puddle. There have been reports of "house dogs" contracting leptospirosis apparently from licking the urine of infected mice that entered the house. The type of habitats most likely to carry infective bacteria are muddy riverbanks, ditches, gulleys and muddy livestock rearing areas where there is regular passage of either wild or farm mammals. There is a direct correlation between the amount of rainfall and the incidence of leptospirosis, making it seasonal in temperate climates and year-round in tropical climates.

Leptospirosis is also transmitted by the semen of infected animals. Abattoir workers can contract the disease through contact with infected blood or body fluids.

Humans become infected through contact with water, food, or soil containing urine from these infected animals. This may happen by swallowing contaminated food or water or through skin contact. The disease is not known to be spread from person to person and cases of bacterial dissemination in convalescence are extremely rare in humans. Leptospirosis is common among watersport enthusiasts in specific areas as prolonged immersion in water is known to promote the entry of the bacteria. Occupational risk factors include veterinarians, slaughter house workers, farmers, sewer workers, and architects and other building workers working on derelict buildings. An outbreak in an inner city environment has been linked to contact with rat urine.

 

Symptoms

In animals, the incubation period (time of exposure to first symptoms) is anywhere from 2 to 20 days. In dogs, the liver and kidney are most commonly damaged by leptospirosis. Vasculitis can occur, causing edema and potentially disseminated intravascular coagulation . Myocarditis, pericarditis, meningitis, and uveitis are also possible sequelae. One should strongly suspect leptospirosis and include it as part of a differential diagnosis if the sclerae of the dog's eyes appear jaundiced (even slightly yellow), though the absence of jaundice does not eliminate the possibility of leptospirosis, and its presence could indicate hepatitis or other liver pathology rather than leptospirosis. Vomiting, fever, failure to eat, reduced urine output, unusually dark or brown urine, and lethargy are also indications of the disease.

In humans, leptospiral infection causes a wide range of symptoms, and some infected persons may have no symptoms at all. Leptospirosis is a biphasic disease that begins with flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, myalgias, intense headache). The first phase resolves and the patient is asymptomatic briefly before the second phase begins that is characterized by meningitis, liver damage (causing jaundice), and renal failure. Because of the wide range of symptoms the infection is often wrongly diagnosed. This leads to a lower registered number of cases than there really are. Symptoms of leptospirosis include high fever, severe headache, chills, muscle aches, and vomiting, and may include jaundice, red eyes, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and/or a rash. The symptoms in humans appear after a 4-14 day incubation period.

 

Complications

Complications include meningitis, respiratory distress, and renal interstitial tubular necrosis, which results in renal failure and often liver failure (the severe form of this disease is known as Weil's disease, though it is sometimes named Weil Syndrome. Cardiovascular problems are also possible. Approximately 5-50% of severe leptospirosis cases are fatal; however, such cases only constitute about 10% of all registered incidents.