Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Rat-bite fever causes
Introduction
Causes
Causes
Rat-bite fever can be caused by the two different bacteria, Streptobacillus moniliformis or Spirillum minus, both of which are found in the mouths of rodents.
Most people get rat-bite fever through contact with urine or secretions from the mouth, eye, or nose of an infected animal. This most commonly occurs though a bite, yet some cases may occur simply through contact with these secretions.
The source of the infection is usually a rat. It can occur as nosocomial infections (ie, acquired from hospitals), or due to exposure or close associations with animals predating rats, mice, squirrels etc. Other animals that may cause infection include squirrels, weasels, and gerbils.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]