Department of Infectious Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325200, People's Republic of China.
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Jinhua Municipal Central Hospital, Jinhua Hospital of Zhejiang University, Jinhua, 321000, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
BMC Infect Dis. 2019 Jul 17;19(1):637. doi: 10.1186/s12879-019-4281-z.
Rat bite fever (RBF), a severe infectious disease, can result from transmission of the pathogen Streptobacillus moniliformis (S. moniliformis) by rat bite. RBF diagnosis can be overlooked.
We present a case of RBF in a Chinese patient who was infected with S. moniliformis in mainland China. Meta-next generation sequencing (mNGS) was used to identify potential pathogens and detected S. moniliformis genome sequences in the pustular sample in less than 72 h. Then the diagnosis was validated by polymerase chain reaction analysis. Despite having severe RBF with complications, this 54-year-old male patient was successfully cured with penicillin as a result of timely pathogen-based diagnosis.
Physicians should inquire about recent rat exposure and consider the possibility of RBF when a patient develops unexplained fever and rashes. mNGS is a new diagnostic technology and may identify RBF pathogens even when blood culture results are negative.
鼠咬热（RBF）是一种严重的传染病，可由病原菌念珠状链杆菌（S. moniliformis）通过鼠咬伤传播。RBF 诊断可能被忽视。
我们报告了一例中国患者的 RBF 病例，该患者在中国大陆感染了 S. moniliformis。宏基因组二代测序（mNGS）用于鉴定潜在病原体，并在不到 72 小时内从脓疱样本中检测到 S. moniliformis 基因组序列。然后通过聚合酶链反应分析验证了诊断。尽管该 54 岁男性患者患有严重的 RBF 并伴有并发症，但由于及时进行了基于病原体的诊断，他成功地用青霉素治愈。
当患者出现不明原因发热和皮疹时，医生应询问近期鼠类接触史，并考虑 RBF 的可能性。mNGS 是一种新的诊断技术，即使血液培养结果为阴性，也可能鉴定出 RBF 病原体。
