My cousins and I - those closest in age to me (on my dad's side). I see most of them urm, once a year? Except for wq, whom I see ard science quite often since she's doing pharmacy. My hair looks short in this pic! =P--------------------
Since its the year of the Rat, here's a list of dieases/unwanted creatures you could catch from rats!
Worms and parasites you don't really want
Hymenolepsis diminuta
Hymenolepsis nana
Capillaria hepatica
Taenia taeniaeformis
Capillaria hepatica
Microbes you don't really want, either
Leptospira spp. bacteria causing Weil's disease
Listeria spp. bacteria causing listeriosis
Yersinia enterocolitica bacteria causing yersiniosis
Pasturella spp. bacteria causing Pasturellosis
Pseudomonas spp. bacteria causing Meilioidosis
Salmonella causing, well, salmonella
Hepatitis E causing Hepatitis E
Yersinia pestis causing the plague
Hantavirus causing Hantaan-fever or hemorrhagic fever
Cryptosporidium parvum causing cryptosporidiosis
Toxoplasma gondii causing toxoplasmosis
Coxiella burnetti causing Q fever
The list goes on and obviously is non exhaustive, since most of my information was gotten off here. Don't you love these furry critters? =) And rats have also been extensively used in psychological and biomedical research. -squeek-
