Household pets such as dogs or cats exposed to these animals can also carry the disease and infect humans.
If a person is bitten by a rodent, it is important to quickly wash and cleanse the wound area thoroughly with antiseptic solution to reduce the risk of infection.
Streptobacillosis is most commonly found in the United States and spirillary rat-bite fever is generally diagnosed in Africa.
Symptoms associated with spirillary rat-bite fever include issues with the lymph nodes, which often swell or become inflamed as a reaction to the infection.
Symptoms do not manifest for two to four weeks after exposure to the organism, and the wound through which it entered exhibits slow healing and marked inflammation.
It is a severe disease caused by Streptobacillus moniliformis, transmitted either by rat bite or ingestion of contaminated products (Haverhill fever).
The disease can be fatal if untreated in 20% of cases due to malignant endocarditis, meningoencephalitis, or septic shock.
This condition is diagnosed by detecting the bacteria in skin, blood, joint fluid, or lymph nodes.
[3] To get a proper diagnosis for rat-bite fever, different tests are run depending on the symptoms being experienced.
To diagnosis streptobacillary rat-bite fever, blood or joint fluid is extracted and the organisms living in it are cultured.
Diagnosis for spirillary rat bite fever is by direct visualization or culture of spirilla from blood smears or tissue from lesions or lymph nodes.
Those living in the inner cities where overcrowding and poor sanitation cause rodent problems are at risk from the disease.
[8] A particular strain of rat-bite fever in the United States can progress and cause serious complications that can be potentially fatal.
If left untreated, streptobacillary rat-bite fever can result in infection in the lining of the heart, covering over the spinal cord and brain, or in the lungs.
[14] A person is also at risk of acquiring the bacteria through touching contaminated surfaces with an open wound or mucous membrane[15] or ingestion of contaminated water or food by rodent feces, though this is referred to as Haverhill Fever (epidemic arthritic erythema).
One factor that limits the known number of cases of RBF in the United States is that it is not a reportable disease there.
Identification of RBF is also hindered due to the presence of two different etiological bacterial agents, Streptobacillus moniliformis and Spirillum minus.
[20] The populations at risk have broadened due to the fact that domestic rats have become a common household pet.
In the United States it is estimated that children five years and younger are the most at risk, receiving 50% of the total exposure, followed by laboratory personnel and then pet store employees.
[16][19] Other groups at increased risk are people over 65 years old, immunocompromised individuals, and pregnant women.
[21] Symptoms of RBF include sudden high temperature fevers with rigors, vomiting, headaches, painful joints/arthritis.