Rat bite diseaseA25.90
Synonym(s)
advice bit fever; Bacterial Rat Bite Disease; Erythema arthriticum epidemicum; Haverhill fever; Haverhill Fever; Sodoku
HistoryThis section has been translated automatically.
Place 1926
DefinitionThis section has been translated automatically.
Notifiable (about 50% of all rats are affected), rare bacterial infectious disease transmitted to humans through bite wounds or contaminated food. More frequent and more severe form of rat bite fever.
PathogenThis section has been translated automatically.
Streptobacillus moniliformis or Spirillum minus (spiral rat bite fever).
Occurrence/EpidemiologyThis section has been translated automatically.
In Asia often, in Europe rarely.
Clinical featuresThis section has been translated automatically.
General: Incubation period 1-5 days. Fever, chills, headache, myalgia, polyarthralgia.
Skin lesions: 2-3 days after clinical manifestation morbilliform, maculopapular exanthema, petechiae, especially on extremities, palmae and plantae.
DiagnosisThis section has been translated automatically.
Blood culture.
Differential diagnosisThis section has been translated automatically.
Meningococcal sepsis; gonococcal sepsis; different virus exanthema; Rocky Mountains spotted fever.
External therapyThis section has been translated automatically.
Symptomatic therapy e.g. with lotio alba.
Internal therapyThis section has been translated automatically.
Systemic antibiotic therapy with benzylpenicillin (e.g. Penicillin Grünenthal 1 Mega) 2 times 0.6 million IU/day i.v. over 10-14 days, in case of complications such as endocarditis 5-20 million IU/day i.v. over 28 days.
Alternatively for penicillin allergy: Erythromycin (e.g. Erythrocin 500 Neo Filmtbl.) 2 g/day p.o. in 2-4 ED or Streptomycin 1 g/day i.m. (e.g. streptomycin fatol).
LiteratureThis section has been translated automatically.
- Hryciw BN et al (2018) Council bite fever on Vancouver Island: 2010-2016
.Can Commun Dis Rep 44:215-219. - Prouty M (1950) Periarteritis nodosa associated with ratbite fever due to streptobacillus moniliformis (erythema arthriticum epidemicum). J Pediatr 36:605-613.