Voles are small, mouse-like rodents commonly found in various environments, from fields to gardens. While often perceived as harmless garden pests, voles can carry pathogens that pose health risks to humans. Understanding these concerns and how to mitigate them is important for individuals living in areas with vole populations.
Diseases Carried by Voles
Voles can harbor various disease-causing agents, including bacteria and viruses, transmissible to humans. Hantavirus, specifically Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), is one concern. This severe respiratory illness initially presents with flu-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and muscle aches, which can rapidly worsen to respiratory distress.
Another bacterial disease associated with voles is Leptospirosis, which can lead to a range of symptoms from mild flu-like illness to more severe conditions affecting the liver and kidneys. Individuals infected with Leptospirosis may experience high fever, severe headaches, muscle pain, and chills. Tularemia, also known as “rabbit fever,” is a bacterial infection that voles can carry, resulting in symptoms like fever, skin ulcers, and swollen lymph nodes.
Voles also host parasites like fleas and ticks. These parasites can transmit diseases such as Lyme disease. While voles do not directly transmit Lyme disease, infected ticks feeding on them can later bite humans, passing on the bacteria and causing symptoms like fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash.
How Vole-Associated Diseases Spread
Vole-associated diseases spread to humans through various mechanisms, primarily involving contact with contaminated materials. A common route of transmission is through the inhalation of aerosolized particles from dried vole urine, droppings, or nesting materials. When these contaminated substances are disturbed, tiny virus-laden particles can become airborne and subsequently inhaled.
Indirect contact also plays a significant role in disease transmission. This occurs when individuals touch surfaces, food, or water that have been contaminated with vole urine, feces, or saliva. For instance, Leptospirosis is often spread through contact with water or soil contaminated by infected vole urine.
Though rare, direct contact, such as a bite from an infected vole, can also transmit diseases like Hantavirus or Tularemia. Vectors like ticks and fleas also contribute to the spread of vole-borne pathogens. These parasites feed on infected voles and then transmit the bacteria or viruses to humans through their bites. This vector-borne transmission pathway is particularly relevant for diseases like Lyme disease and certain forms of Tularemia.
Protecting Yourself from Vole-Related Illnesses
Minimizing exposure to vole-borne illnesses involves practical prevention strategies around your home and property. Avoid direct contact with voles, including handling them, as they can carry pathogens on their fur or in their bodily fluids. Maintain good hygiene practices, such as thoroughly washing hands after outdoor activities or any potential contact with areas where voles might be active.
When cleaning up vole droppings or nests, take specific precautions to prevent the aerosolization of harmful particles. Ventilate the area for at least 30 minutes by opening windows and doors before starting. Wear rubber or plastic gloves and avoid sweeping or vacuuming, which can stir up dust. Instead, thoroughly wet down contaminated areas with a bleach solution (1.5 cups of household bleach per gallon of water) and allow it to soak for at least five minutes before wiping up with paper towels.
Further protective measures include sealing any potential entry points into homes or outbuildings to prevent voles from gaining access. Storing food in rodent-proof containers and managing vegetation around your property can also help deter voles. Regularly mowing lawns, clearing dense ground cover, and removing debris piles can make your yard less appealing to these rodents.
Identifying Voles
Voles are small rodents, typically measuring between 3 and 9 inches in length, including their short tails. They possess a compact, stout body, a blunt nose, and noticeably small eyes and ears that are often concealed by their fur. Their fur color generally ranges from gray to various shades of brown.
Distinguishing voles from other common rodents like mice or moles is important. Unlike mice, voles have shorter tails and a stockier build. Moles, which are insectivores, create distinct raised tunnels, whereas voles are primarily herbivores and create visible surface runways through grass. These runways are often accompanied by small, golf-ball-sized burrow entrances. Other signs of vole presence include gnaw marks on the bark of trees and plants, clipped grass stems, and small, granular, dark brown droppings that resemble rice pellets found along their runways or near feeding sites.