Which disease can be spread when some foods are contaminated with infected rodent feces, with mice probably more responsible than rats for the spread?

• A. Salmonella food poisoning
• B. Leptospirosis
• C. Rabies
• D. Plague

Answer: (A)

Contaminated food with rodent feces most commonly leads to Salmonella food poisoning. Mice often invade stored foods and leave fecal pellets in pantries and on surfaces, including grains and dried goods. Salmonella bacteria can survive in dried rodent feces, so eating or handling contaminated food can cause gastroenteritis with symptoms like diarrhea, fever, and cramps.

Other diseases involve different transmission routes: leptospirosis comes from rodent urine contaminating water or soil, not typically through food; rabies spreads through bites with infected saliva; plague is transmitted mainly by fleas moving from infected rodents to people, not by consuming feces. So the scenario described aligns best with Salmonella.