Rat bite fever with osteomyelitis and discitis: case report and literature review.

Steven H Adams, Rahul Mahapatra

BMC infectious diseases 2021 May 26

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Rat bite fever (RBF) is a rare systemic febrile illness transmitted by rats. Streptobacillus moniliformis is a pleomorphic Gram-negative bacillus which is the usual etiologic organism for rat bite fever in the United States. Here we present a case of rat bite fever complicated by vertebral osteomyelitis and discitis. The patient revealed an exposure history of being bitten by pet rats. The patient's symptoms dramatically improved with a six-week course of cephalexin therapy. It is important to obtain a thorough zoonotic exposure history and maintain rat bite fever in the differential when considering potential causes of discitis and osteomyelitis.

Citation

Steven H Adams, Rahul Mahapatra. Rat bite fever with osteomyelitis and discitis: case report and literature review. BMC infectious diseases. 2021 May 26;21(1):479