Rat-bite fever overview
|
Rat-bite fever Microchapters |
|
Diagnosis |
|---|
|
Treatment |
|
Case Studies |
|
Rat-bite fever overview On the Web |
|
American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Rat-bite fever overview |
|
Risk calculators and risk factors for Rat-bite fever overview |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Rat-bite fever is an acute, febrile human illness caused by bacteria transmitted by rodents, rats in most cases. Two types of gram-negative facultatively anaerobic bacteria can cause the infection, which is passed from rodent to human via the rodent's urine or mucous secretions.Rat-bite fever (RBF) is an infectious disease caused by two different organisms, Streptobacillus moniliformis and Spirillum minus. In the United States, Rat-bite fever is primarily due to infection with S. moniliformis. Spirillum minus causes Rat-bite fever cases in countries such as Asia and Africa. S. moniliformis and S. minus are part of the normal respiratory flora of rats. Both organisms may be transmitted to humans through rat bites or scratches. Infection can also result from handling an infected rat, with no reported bite or scratch. Infection with S. moniliformis can also occur through ingestion of food or drink contaminated with rat excrement (Haverhill fever). Other rodents (e.g. mice, gerbils) may also be reservoirs. Person-to-person transmission has not been reported.