Abstract
A 24-year old man presented himself to the emergency ward with complaints of fever, nausea, headache, muscle ache and chest pain. Two weeks before presentation he had been bitten by a pet rat. We determined that he had bacteraemia caused by a Streptobacillus moniliformis infection, which led to the development of an illness called rat bite fever. S. moniliformis is a pleomorphic gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium that is considered part of the normal nasopharyngeal flora in rats. It is the cause of two similar illnesses: rat bite fever and Haverhill fever. Clinicians should consider these infections in the work-up of unexplained fever or sepsis, certainly in the presence of known exposure to rats. Treatment consists of antibiotics.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | A1365 |
Journal | Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde |
Volume | 154 |
Issue number | 21 |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2010 |