A rare cause of vertebral osteomyelitis: the first case report of rat-bite fever in Portugal

Pena, Eduarda; Jordão, Sofia; Simões, Maria João; Oleastro, Mónica; Neves, Isabel

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/6465

Use this identifier to reference this record.

Name:	Description:	Size:	Format:
First case report of rat-bite fever in Portugal_2020.pdf		1.04 MB	Adobe PDF	Download

Send Feedback

Authors

Abstract(s)

Rat-bite fever is a rarely diagnosed illness caused by Streptobacillus moniliformis . Although this disease is distributed worldwide, there have been few cases reported in Europe. Here, we report a case of vertebral osteomyelitis and sternoclavicular septic arthritis caused by S. moniliformis in a Portuguese patient previously bitten by a rat. Laboratory diagnosis was performed using molecular identification. This is the first case report of rat-bite fever in Portugal. The case described here serves as a reminder for physicians to consider this diagnosis in patients who have developed fever syndromes after being in contact with rodents.

Keywords

Aged Animals Arthritis, Infectious Bites and Stings Female Humans Lumbar Vertebrae Magnetic Resonance Imaging Male Osteomyelitis Rat-Bite Fever Rats Sternoclavicular Joint Infecções Gastrointestinais