Boston city councilors agreed today to look at stepping up the age-old war on rats - starting with possible new requirements for how residents put out their trash, including in possible "rat-resistant" trash containers.

As one of three rat-focused hearing requests today, Councilor Ed Flynn (South Boston, South End, Downtown, Chinatown) renewed his plea for hiring a dedicated Boston Rat Czar to head new city pest-management department, to replace the current city approach of coordination among existing departments, such as public works, BWSC, BPHC and parks.

Flynn said the growing population of rampant rats has become more than just an icky quality-of-life issue now that Tufts researchers have discovered Boston rats carrying leptospirosis, which Flynn said can mean "multiple organ failure

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