Comment by standardUser

I live in Manhattan and I see rats pretty often on the streets and in the subway. But to be honest, they have never caused me any problems. They'd obviously be a big problem if they got into people's homes or businesses frequently, but that actually seems very rare. It makes me wonder, other than people thinking they are gross, what is the primary problem caused by rats in NYC? They have a reputation for spreading disease, but what pathogens are actually spread to people from rats these days?