Pet rat kills California boy; family sues Petco

[OsirisRa32]

So does this mean there is a test we can do on our collection of rats to see if they are infected? Guess I will be calling a vet tomorrow...

As rats are one of the host species or natural reservoirs of the disease....yes you can do blood tests on rats but it is cost prohibitive and rats are typically viewed as asymptomatic carriers of the disease.

I would be just as worried over pet cats and rabbits for the common domesticated mammal species that brings diseases into our homes.