rat-bite fever

rat-bite fever n either of two febrile human diseases usu. transmitted by the bite of a rat:

a) a septicemia marked by irregular relapsing fever, rashes, muscular pain and arthritis, and great weakness and caused by a bacterium of the genus Streptobacillus (S. moniliformis)

b) a disease that is marked by sharp elevation of temperature, swelling of lymph glands, eruption, recurrent inflammation of the bite wound, and muscular pains in the part where the bite wound occurred and that is caused by a bacterium of the genus Spirillum (S. minor syn. S. minus) called also sodoku

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a disease, contracted from the bite of a rat, due to infection by either the bacterium Spirillum minus, which causes ulceration of the skin and recurrent fever, or by the fungus Streptobacillus moniliformis, which causes inflammation of the skin, muscular pains, and vomiting. Both infections respond well to penicillin.

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either of two clinically similar but etiologically distinct acute infectious diseases, transmitted by the bite of a rat or other small rodent: (1) the bacillary or streptobacillary form, seen mainly in North America, is caused by Streptobacillus moniliformis and has a latent period of about a week, during which the initial wound heals without inflammation; the bite site later becomes inflamed and indurated, and this is followed by adenitis, chills, vomiting, headache, high fever, morbilliform eruption, especially on the hands and feet, and polyarthritis that is often severe. Cf. Haverhill f. (2) The spirillary form (called also sodoku), seen mainly in East Asia and nearby islands, is caused by Spirillum minus and has a latent period of usually more than ten days. Inflammation recurs at the primary wound site; the rash is less evident than in the bacillary form; arthritis is rare; and the fever is commonly of the relapsing type.