Rat-bite fever

Rat-bite fever arises from an infection caused by Streptobacillus moniliformis or Spirillum minus. Rats transmit these bacteria through bites or by contaminating food with their excrement. Streptobacillosis features fever, muscle pain, and a non-specific rash. In cases of spirillosis, the bite mark may initially disappear, but after a few weeks, inflammation of the area with accompanying fever and a general rash often occurs. Both forms of these diseases remain rare.

Source | Author Doctor Nikas Samuolis, reviewed by Prof. Virginijus Šapoka | Vilnius University | Faculty of Medicine | Head of the Department of Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and Oncology