Warning: kissing rats is a health hazard
A 26-year-old Adelaide woman contracted a potentially fatal illness after close contact with her pet rats, and the disease could become more common as rodent ownership rises, according to a case report published the February 20 issue of the Medical Journal of Australia.
According to the report by Dr Lito Papanicolas, a registrar at SA Pathology, and coauthors, the patient was found to have contracted a Streptobacillus moniliformis infection – rat bite fever.
As the name suggests, the disease is usually acquired through a rat bite, but can result from handling and exposure to the excreta or saliva of pet rodents like rats or guinea pigs. In this case, the woman had not been bitten by her two pets, but she liked to kiss and cuddle them.
The woman presented to the emergency department with a severe headache and then went on to develop respiratory distress. She was treated in the intensive care unit and spent 17 days in hospital. She did, however, make a full recovery.
Pet shop employees and lab workers have been among the victims in recent years and, increasingly, so have the owners of pet rats, according to the authors.
“As rodents become more popular as household pets, more cases of S. moniliformis infection due to affectionate contact are likely to occur”, the authors wrote.
They also said the case highlights the importance of history-taking and the need to perform blood cultures in patients presenting with fever.
The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.
The statements or opinions that are expressed in the MJA reflect the views of the authors and do not represent the official policy of the AMA or the MJA unless that is so stated.
CONTACTS: Dr Narin Bak 0401 133 668