Rat Bite Fever Resembling Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rat bite fever is rare in Western countries. It can be very difficult to diagnose as blood cultures are typically negative and a history of rodent exposure is often missed. Unless a high index of suspicion is maintained, the associated polyarthritis can be mistaken for rheumatoid arthritis. We repor...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2016-01-01
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| Series: | Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/7270413 |
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| _version_ | 1832556380705259520 |
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| author | Ripa Akter Paul Boland Peter Daley Proton Rahman Nayef Al Ghanim |
| author_facet | Ripa Akter Paul Boland Peter Daley Proton Rahman Nayef Al Ghanim |
| author_sort | Ripa Akter |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Rat bite fever is rare in Western countries. It can be very difficult to diagnose as blood cultures are typically negative and a history of rodent exposure is often missed. Unless a high index of suspicion is maintained, the associated polyarthritis can be mistaken for rheumatoid arthritis. We report a case of culture-positive rat bite fever in a 46-year-old female presenting with fever and polyarthritis. The clinical presentation mimicked rheumatoid arthritis. Infection was complicated by discitis, a rare manifestation. We discuss the diagnosis and management of this rare zoonotic infection. We also review nine reported cases of rat bite fever, all of which had an initial presumptive diagnosis of a rheumatological disorder. Rat bite fever is a potentially curable infection but can have a lethal course if left untreated. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-19ab8c6c767543b4883d1f3002b665a8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1712-9532 1918-1493 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj-art-19ab8c6c767543b4883d1f3002b665a82025-02-03T05:45:32ZengWileyCanadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology1712-95321918-14932016-01-01201610.1155/2016/72704137270413Rat Bite Fever Resembling Rheumatoid ArthritisRipa Akter0Paul Boland1Peter Daley2Proton Rahman3Nayef Al Ghanim4Department of Internal Medicine, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, A1B 3V6, CanadaDepartment of Internal Medicine, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, A1B 3V6, CanadaDisciplines of Medicine and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, A1B 3V6, CanadaDepartment of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, A1B 3V6, CanadaEastern Health, St. John’s, NL, A1C 5B8, CanadaRat bite fever is rare in Western countries. It can be very difficult to diagnose as blood cultures are typically negative and a history of rodent exposure is often missed. Unless a high index of suspicion is maintained, the associated polyarthritis can be mistaken for rheumatoid arthritis. We report a case of culture-positive rat bite fever in a 46-year-old female presenting with fever and polyarthritis. The clinical presentation mimicked rheumatoid arthritis. Infection was complicated by discitis, a rare manifestation. We discuss the diagnosis and management of this rare zoonotic infection. We also review nine reported cases of rat bite fever, all of which had an initial presumptive diagnosis of a rheumatological disorder. Rat bite fever is a potentially curable infection but can have a lethal course if left untreated.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/7270413 |
| spellingShingle | Ripa Akter Paul Boland Peter Daley Proton Rahman Nayef Al Ghanim Rat Bite Fever Resembling Rheumatoid Arthritis Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology |
| title | Rat Bite Fever Resembling Rheumatoid Arthritis |
| title_full | Rat Bite Fever Resembling Rheumatoid Arthritis |
| title_fullStr | Rat Bite Fever Resembling Rheumatoid Arthritis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rat Bite Fever Resembling Rheumatoid Arthritis |
| title_short | Rat Bite Fever Resembling Rheumatoid Arthritis |
| title_sort | rat bite fever resembling rheumatoid arthritis |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/7270413 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ripaakter ratbitefeverresemblingrheumatoidarthritis AT paulboland ratbitefeverresemblingrheumatoidarthritis AT peterdaley ratbitefeverresemblingrheumatoidarthritis AT protonrahman ratbitefeverresemblingrheumatoidarthritis AT nayefalghanim ratbitefeverresemblingrheumatoidarthritis |