From websites to publications to social media, the idea that opossums help save humans from tick-borne ailments is broadly proliferated. Bret Collier, PhD refutes the tick vacuum designation citing study methods from a 2009 study versus a 2021 Hennessy and Hild study of wild opossum stomach contents.
Source: Field and Stream, January 5, 2022. Link.
INSIGHTS: Like the feces of some other species, zoonotic diseases such as leptospirosis and salmonella can be transmitted by opossum feces. So don’t feed them or leave the cat food dish outside overnight.