Ever wondered what diseases opossums might carry? You’re definitely not alone. These small marsupials often pop up near people, so it makes sense to ask about the health risks they bring. Opossums sometimes carry diseases like leptospirosis, toxoplasmosis, and coccidiosis, which can affect pets and humans.
Opossums actually help nature by eating pests like ticks. But their droppings, urine, or even just touching them can spread bacteria and parasites.
If you know which diseases they carry, you can take steps to protect your family and pets. That knowledge also helps you figure out how to live around these animals safely.
If opossums have started showing up in your yard or neighborhood, it pays to know what to watch for. You’ll find some practical tips here on how to spot risks and keep things safe.
Diseases Commonly Carried by Opossums
Opossums can bring a handful of diseases that put your health or your pet’s health at risk. Some of these spread through their urine, feces, or the parasites they host.
If you know the main illnesses, you can take steps to keep yourself and your animals safer.
Leptospirosis Transmission and Symptoms
Bacteria in water or soil contaminated by animal urine—including opossum urine—cause leptospirosis. You might pick it up if you touch these fluids, especially if you have any cuts or if it gets in your eyes or mouth.
The first signs usually feel like the flu: fever, chills, headaches, muscle aches. If you don’t treat it, leptospirosis can do more damage, hitting your liver or kidneys. Dogs get it more often than people, so it’s smart to keep your pets away from areas where opossums hang out.
Tuberculosis Risk From Opossums
Opossums sometimes carry tuberculosis (TB), a bacterial infection that mostly targets the lungs. The risk isn’t high, but close contact with an infected opossum or its droplets can put you in danger.
TB spreads when you breathe in tiny particles from coughs or sneezes. Opossums usually don’t look sick, so you can’t tell if they have TB. It’s best not to handle opossums or their droppings and to keep your distance.
Salmonella Exposure and Safety
Salmonella bacteria can live in opossum droppings, which puts humans and pets at risk. If you touch contaminated surfaces or food and then forget to wash your hands, you might get sick.
The usual symptoms? Diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever, maybe even vomiting. To avoid trouble, skip direct contact with opossums and clean up any areas they’ve visited. Sealing your garbage and keeping pet food indoors can help keep opossums away.
Tularemia and Its Effects
Tularemia is a bacterial illness that opossums sometimes carry and spread, often through ticks or fleas living on them. You can get it from a bite by an infected bug or by handling an infected animal.
Tularemia can give you a fever, skin ulcers, swollen glands, and just make you feel lousy. If you need to handle wild animals, wear gloves, and check your pets for ticks often. Calling in professionals to handle opossums near your home is a smart move.
For more info, check out 3 Dangerous Diseases Spread by Opossums.
Parasites, Immunity, and Unique Health Concerns
Opossums carry a mix of parasites and diseases that can affect you, your pets, and other animals nearby. Their immune system is kind of unique—it helps them fight off some infections, but they still spread certain illnesses.
If you understand these health risks, you can protect your family and yourself.
Fleas, Ticks, and Associated Diseases
Opossums usually have external parasites like fleas, ticks, and mites. These little pests can pass diseases on to you and your pets.
Fleas can spread some bacterial infections. Ticks bring more serious stuff like Rickettsia or even Borrelia (that’s Lyme disease).
Ticks that feed on opossums can travel between wild and city areas, which means they might show up in your backyard. Since opossums wander through forests and neighborhoods, they sometimes bring ticks right to your door.
To lower your risk, always check your pets for ticks after they’ve been outside. Keep your yard tidy to make it less welcoming for fleas and ticks.
Rabies Susceptibility in Opossums
You might’ve heard that opossums carry rabies, but honestly, they’re less likely to spread it than most wild animals. Their body temperature runs a bit cooler, and the rabies virus doesn’t do well in them.
Still, don’t handle opossums—especially if they’re acting weird—since rabies is always serious. If you or your pet comes into contact with a wild animal behaving oddly, call animal control or a doctor right away.
Even though rabies from opossums is rare, it’s just safer to keep your distance and make sure your pets stay away too.
Chagas Disease and Other Threats
Opossums can carry the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas disease. Triatomine bugs (kissing bugs) spread this parasite, and opossums can host these bugs.
These bugs leave infected feces, which can get into your body through cuts or mucous membranes. If you live where these bugs are common, be careful—people and pets can get infected.
Opossums also carry other health threats like Toxoplasma gondii, which you and your pets can pick up, often from contact with feces.
Knowing how these parasites spread makes it easier to avoid risky contact with contaminated stuff or animals.
EPM Transmission to Animals
Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a serious disease that hits horses hard, and it all starts with the parasite Sarcocystis neurona. Opossums are, oddly enough, the only animals that carry the infectious stage of this parasite.
When opossums leave feces around, the parasite gets into horse environments by contaminating feed or water. Horses end up infected when they accidentally eat or drink from these tainted sources.
If you care for horses, try to keep their feed and water covered and as clean as possible. It also helps a lot to keep opossums out of the stables, though that can be easier said than done.
