However, when cornered, they will lunge and bite to defend themselves. The saliva of some species of rats carries hazardous diseases, such as leptospirosis and Hantavirus. In rare cases, rat bite victims may contract rat-bite fever. Humans bitten by rodents are also susceptible to tetanus infections. read more
According to the Centers for Disease Control, mice bites are dangerous if the mice are infected with a disease that is transmissible between rodents and humans. These diseases include but are not limited to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, lassa fever, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, lymphocytic chorio-meningitis, plague, rat-bite fever and tularemia. read more