Rat bite fever in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus
Lauren Bougioukas,
Emily Vicks,
Andrew J. Hale,
Jean Dejace,
Sean Bullis
Affiliations
Lauren Bougioukas
Medical student at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
Emily Vicks
Medical student at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
Andrew J. Hale
Infectious Diseases physician at the University of Vermont Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
Jean Dejace
Infectious Diseases physician at the University of Vermont Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
Sean Bullis
University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington, VT and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA; Correspondence to: University of Vermont Medical Center, Infectious Disease Unit, 111 Colchester Avenue, Mailstop 115 SM2, Burlington, VT 05401, USA.
The authors report the case of a 45-year-old male with history of human immunodeficiency virus who presented unresponsive and with injuries to his hands after spending a night on a lakeside beach. During his hospitalization, he developed a fever with arthralgias and was initially thought to have calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal deposition disease before a diagnosis of Rat Bite Fever was ultimately discovered. He was successfully treated with six-weeks of ceftriaxone. The authors discuss the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of Rat Bite Fever.
