# Lists of Pests of Significant Public Health Importance – Revised 2023/Vertebrate Pests

Vertebrate Pests :
| Pest | Scientific Name | Public Health Importance/ Possible Clinical Significance |
| Reptiles |||
| Rattlesnakes | Crotalus spp. | Direct injury, venomous bites |
| Copperhead and cottonmouth snakes | Agkistrodon spp. | Direct injury, venomous bites |
| Coral snakes | Micrurus spp. | Direct injury, venomous bites |
| Brown tree snake | Boiga irregularis | Direct injury, venomous bites |
| Fish |||
| Great white shark | Carcharodon carcharias | Direct Injury |
| Tiger shark | Galeocerdo cuvier | Direct Injury |
| Bull shark | Carcharhinus leucas | Direct Injury |
| Asian carps | Cyprinus spp. Ctenopharyngodon spp. Hypophthalmichthys spp. | Direct Injury |
| Birds |||
| Geese | Subfamily Anserinae | Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, psittacosis, avian influenza, direct injury, bird strike at airports |
| Mute swan | Cygus olor | Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, psittacosis, avian influenza, direct injury, bird strike at airports |
| Gulls | Subfamily Larinae | Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, psittacosis, avian influenza, direct injury, bird strike at airports |
| Coot | Fulica americana | Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, psittacosis, avian influenza, direct injury, bird strike at airports |
| Rock dove (domestic pigeon) | Columba livia | Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, psittacosis, avian influenza, direct injury, bird strike at airports |
| Cliff swallow | Petrochelidon pyrrhonota | Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, psittacosis, avian influenza, direct injury, bird strike at airports |
| Barn swallow | Hirundo rustica | Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, psittacosis, avian influenza, direct injury, bird strike at airports |
| House (English) sparrow | Passer domesticus | Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, psittacosis, avian influenza, direct injury, bird strike at airports |
| American crow | Corvus brachyrhynchos | Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, psittacosis, avian influenza, direct injury, bird strike at airports |
| Fish crow | Corvus ossifragus | Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, psittacosis, avian influenza, direct injury, bird strike at airports |
| European starling | Sturnus vulgaris | Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, psittacosis, avian influenza, direct injury, bird strike at airports |
| House finch | Cardodacus purpureus | Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, psittacosis, avian influenza, direct injury, bird strike at airports |
| Blackbirds | Family Icteridae | Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, psittacosis, avian influenza, direct injury, bird strike at airports |
| Common raven | Corvus corax | Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, psittacosis, avian influenza, direct injury, bird strike at airports |
| Chihuahuan raven | Corvus cryptoleucus | Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, psittacosis, avian influenza, direct injury, bird strike at airports |
| Black vulture | Cathartes aura | Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, psittacosis, avian influenza, direct injury, bird strike at airports |
| Turkey vulture | Coragyps atratus ​ | Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, psittacosis, avian influenza, direct injury, bird strike at airports |
| Mammals |||
| Bats |||
| Big brown bat | Eptesicus fuscus | Rabies, histoplasmosis, salmonellosis, yersiniosis, Nipah virus, Ebola virus, SARS coronavirus |
| Little brown bat | Myotis lucifugus | Rabies, histoplasmosis, salmonellosis, yersiniosis, Nipah virus, Ebola virus, SARS coronavirus |
| Brazilian (Mexican) free-tailed bat | Tadarida brasiliensis | Rabies, histoplasmosis, salmonellosis, yersiniosis, Nipah virus, Ebola virus, SARS coronavirus |
| Big eared bat | Corynorhinus townsendii | Rabies, histoplasmosis, salmonellosis, yersiniosis, Nipah virus, Ebola virus, SARS coronavirus |
| Common vampire bat | Demodus rotundus | Rabies, histoplasmosis, salmonellosis, yersiniosis, Nipah virus, Ebola virus, SARS coronavirus |
| Mice |||
| House mouse | Mus musculus | Hantavirus, salmonellosis, tularemia, leptospirosis, lymphocytic chorio-meningitis, rat bite fever, other diseases, allergy and asthma triggers from urine/hair/dander |
| Deer mouse | Peromyscus maniculatus | Hantavirus, salmonellosis, tularemia, leptospirosis, lymphocytic chorio-meningitis, rat bite fever, other diseases, allergy and asthma triggers from urine/hair/dander |
| Cotton mouse | Peromyscus gossypinus | Hantavirus, salmonellosis, tularemia, leptospirosis, lymphocytic chorio-meningitis, rat bite fever, other diseases, allergy and asthma triggers from urine/hair/dander |
| White-footed mouse (White-footed deer mouse) | Peromyscus leucopus | Hantavirus, salmonellosis, tularemia, leptospirosis, lymphocytic chorio-meningitis, rat bite fever, other diseases, allergy and asthma triggers from urine/hair/dander |
| Eastern harvest mouse | Reithrodontomys humuli | Hantavirus, salmonellosis, tularemia, leptospirosis, lymphocytic chorio-meningitis, rat bite fever, other diseases, allergy and asthma triggers from urine/hair/dander |
| Golden mouse | Ochrotomys nuttalli | Hantavirus, salmonellosis, tularemia, leptospirosis, lymphocytic chorio-meningitis, rat bite fever, other diseases, allergy and asthma triggers from urine/hair/dander |
| Rats |||
| Norway rat | Rattus norvegicus | Leptospirosis, plague, rat bite fever, salmonellosis, tularemia, lymphocytic chorio-meningitis, direct injury, allergy and asthma triggers from urine/hair/dander |
| Roof rat | Rattus rattus | Leptospirosis, plague, rat bite fever, salmonellosis, tularemia, lymphocytic chorio-meningitis, direct injury, allergy and asthma triggers from urine/hair/dander |
| Polynesian rat | Rattus exulans | Leptospirosis, plague, rat bite fever, salmonellosis, tularemia, lymphocytic chorio-meningitis, direct injury, allergy and asthma triggers from urine/hair/dander |
| Cotton rats | Sigmodon spp. | Leptospirosis, plague, rat bite fever, salmonellosis, tularemia, lymphocytic chorio-meningitis, direct injury, allergy and asthma triggers from urine/hair/dander |
| Mexican woodrat | Neotoma mexicana | Leptospirosis, plague, rat bite fever, salmonellosis, tularemia, lymphocytic chorio-meningitis, direct injury, allergy and asthma triggers from urine/hair/dander |
| Southern plains woodrat | Neotoma micropus | Leptospirosis, plague, rat bite fever, salmonellosis, tularemia, lymphocytic chorio-meningitis, direct injury, allergy and asthma triggers from urine/hair/dander |
| White-throated woodrat | Neotoma albigula ​ | Leptospirosis, plague, rat bite fever, salmonellosis, tularemia, lymphocytic chorio-meningitis, direct injury, allergy and asthma triggers from urine/hair/dander |
| Squirrels |||
| Flying squirrels | Glaucomys spp. | Sylvatic typhus, leptospirosis |
| Ground squirrels and prairie dogs | Urocitellus spp., Spermophilus spp., Ictidomys spp., Poliocitellus spp., Cynomys spp., Xerospermophilus spp., Callospermophilus spp., Otospermopjilus spp., Ammospermophilus spp. | Plague, tularemia |
| Tree squirrels and chipmunks | Sciurus spp., Tamias spp., Eutamias spp., Tamiasciurus spp. | Leptospirosis, salmonellosis, tularemia, rabies, direct injury |
| Woodchuck | Marmota monax | Leptospirosis, salmonellosis, tularemia, rabies, direct injury |
| Yellow-bellied marmot | Marmota flaviventris | Leptospirosis, salmonellosis, tularemia, rabies, direct injury |
| Other Mammals |||
| Bears | Family Ursidae | Toxoplasmosis, brucellosis, trichinellosis, direct injury |
| Coyote | Canis latrans | Rabies, canine distemper virus, leptospirosis, direct injury |
| Arctic fox | Alopex lagopus | Rabies, canine distemper virus, leptospirosis, direct injury |
| Gray fox | Urocyon cinereoargenteus | Rabies, canine distemper virus, leptospirosis, direct injury |
| Red fox | Vulpes vulpes | Rabies, canine distemper virus, leptospirosis, direct injury |
| Gray wolf | Canis lupus | Rabies, canine distemper virus, leptospirosis, direct injury |
| Wild (feral) dog | Canis lupus familiaris | Rabies, canine distemper virus, leptospirosis, direct injury |
| Wild (feral) cat | Felis catus | Toxoplasmosis, rabies, direct injury |
| Wild (feral) horse | Equus caballus | Rabies, leptospirosis, salmonellosis, camplyobacterosis, cryptosporidiosis, direct injury |
| Wild (feral) swine Javelina (collared peccary) | Sus scrofa Dicotyles tajacu | Leptospirosis, brucellosis, E. coli infection, salmonellosis, toxoplasmosis, rabies, swine influenza viruses, trichinosis, giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis, direct injury |
| Deer and elk | Family Cervidae | Leptospirosis, salmonellosis, chlamydiosis, campylobacterosis, cryptosporidiosis, giardiasis, direct injury |
| American bison | Bison bison | Brucellosis, direct injury |
| Mongooses | Family Herpestidae | Leptospirosis, direct injury ​ |
| Mountain lion (cougar) | Puma concolor | Toxoplasmosis, plague, rabies, leptospirosis |
| Nutria | Myocastor coypus | Tuberculosis, septicemia, rabies, leptospirosis |
| Porcupine | Erethizon dorsatum | Rabies, tularemia, direct injury |
| North American beaver | Castor canadensis | Giardiasis, leptospirosis, hantavirus, direct injury, waterway impoundment that can lead to life-threatening flooding |
| Badger | Taxidea taxus | Rabies, direct injury |
| Muskrat | Ondatra zibethicus | Leptospirosis, tularemia |
| Striped skunk | Mephitis mephitis | Leptospirosis, tularemia, direct injury |
| Spotted skunk | Spilogale putorius | Leptospirosis, tularemia, direct injury |
| Raccoon | Procyon lotor | Leptospirosis, tularemia, direct injury |
| Rabbits | Family Leporidae | Cryptosporidosis, tularemia, rabbit hemorrhagic fever |
| Virginia opossum | Didelphis virginiana | Leptospirosis, tularemia, direct injury |
| Nine-banded armadillo | Dasypus novemcinctus | Leprosy, Chagas disease |
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States federal government (see 17 U.S.C. 105).
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