Acute fever due to rats

Abstract

The bite of a rat can transmit diverse micro-organisms; however, the development of health measures and the improved conditions of habitability of homes have meant that the infectious diseases transmitted by the aggressions of these animals are infrequent in industrialised countries. In occasional circumstances this type of aggression can still take place, especially in depressed areas on the periphery of big cities and in uninhabited premises, this being a possibility that it is advisable to bear in mind. The case is presented of fever due to a rat bite in a patient who was attacked while cleaning an industrial premise. The evolution of the clinical picture was typical, with Streptobacillus moniliformis isolated as the causal agent, and the picture was controlled with doxicycline without complications arising.