ad
This Article
Right arrow Images Only
Right arrow Full Version
Services
Right arrow E-mail this link to a friend
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Right arrow Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
Section 5
Appendices
Right arrow Earn CME - What's This?
Related Collections
Right arrowRelated Article

The first 20% of the full text of this section appears below.

Section 3. Summaries of Infectious Diseases

Rat-Bite Fever

Clinical Manifestations
Etiology
Epidemiology
Diagnostic Tests
Treatment
Isolation of the Hospitalized Patient
Control Measures

Top
 Next
See Images

CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS

Rat-bite fever is caused by Streptobacillus moniliformis or Spirillum minus. S moniliformis infection (streptobacillary fever or Haverhill fever) is characterized by fever, rash, and arthritis. There is an abrupt onset of fever, chills, muscle pain, vomiting, headache, and occasionally, adenopathy. A maculopapular or petechial rash develops, predominantly on the extremities including the palms and soles, typically within a few days of fever onset. The bite site usually heals promptly and exhibits no or minimal inflammation. Nonsuppurative migratory polyarthritis or arthralgia follows in approximately 50% of patients. Untreated infection usually has a relapsing course for a mean of 3 weeks. Complications include soft tissue and solid-organ abscesses, pneumonia, endocarditis, myocarditis, and meningitis. Disease can be severe or even fatal in infants younger than 3 months of age. The case-fatality rate is 7% to 10% in untreated patients. With S minus infection, a period of initial apparent healing at the site of . . . [Go to Full Text]


Related Article

Introduction
Red Book 2009 2009: 737. [Extract] [Full Text]