ratbite fever

Also found in: Thesaurus.
Related to ratbite fever: tularemia, Streptobacillus moniliformis

ratbite fever

(ˈrætˌbaɪt) or

ratbite disease

(Pathology) pathol an acute infectious febrile disease caused by the bite of a rat infected with either of two pathogenic bacteria (Streptobacillus moniliformis or Spirillum minus)

rat′bite fe`ver

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.ratbite fever - either of two infectious diseases transmitted to humans by the bite of a rat or mouse; characterized by fever and headache and nausea and skin eruptions
infectious disease - a disease transmitted only by a specific kind of contact
Haverhill fever - the form of ratbite fever occurring in the United States
sodoku, spirillum fever - the form of ratbite fever occurring in the Far East
References in periodicals archive ?
The recommended treatment for streptobacillary ratbite fever is intravenous penicillin G for five to seven days, followed by oral penicillin or ampicillin for seven days [8].
According to the Center for Disease Control rats carry no less than 12 infectious diseases, including: swine fever; foot and mouth disease; tapeworms; ratbite fever; salmonella; murine typhus and leptospirosis.
" In rare cases those bitten can develop a condition known as ratbite fever which can leave a s-erer with symptoms including fever, joint pain, a rash and can even lead to forms of arthritis.