After being bitten by rats, a couple in Hai Duong had to be hospitalized at the Tropical Disease Center (Bach Mai Hospital) with a very high fever and risk of dangerous complications.

Delirium after being bitten by a rat

The Center for Tropical Diseases (Bach Mai Hospital) recently admitted a couple (NTP, 68 years old and PTV, 61 years old) from Hai Duong to the hospital with a high fever of over 39 degrees Celsius, chills all over the body, and edematous, swollen, and infected wounds on their hands.

The patient said that on December 15, while the couple was chasing a mouse, their finger was bitten and bled. They then washed their hands with soap and put essential oil on the wound.

Five days later, both grandparents had high fevers, sometimes even lying lethargic, delirious, chills all over their bodies, swollen and painful rat bites. After self-monitoring for two days at home without seeing any improvement, the two grandparents went to the district hospital, were vaccinated against tetanus and transferred to Bach Mai Hospital (Hanoi).

At the Tropical Disease Center, two patients were diagnosed with “rat-bite fever” (sodoku). After more than a week of intensive treatment with an effective antibiotic regimen, their clinical signs improved significantly, and the two patients were discharged from the hospital on the afternoon of December 31, 2024.

Sodoku disease is caused by spirochetes transmitted from rats.

Regarding rat-bite fever, Associate Professor, Doctor Do Duy Cuong, Director of the Center for Tropical Diseases, Bach Mai Hospital, said that rat-bite fever (sodoku) is an infection and systemic poisoning caused by a spirillum minus. This spirillum is found in the throat of rats and is transmitted directly through rat bites.

The incubation period of the disease is from 3 days to 2 weeks. The signs of the disease are usually high fever, chills that occur periodically and recur, muscle pain, joint pain, headache, sore throat, lymphadenitis, vomiting, fatigue, and even delirium and coma.

“If the poisoning is severe and not treated promptly, it can lead to complications such as meningitis, hepatitis, pleurisy, myocarditis, arthritis, and more seriously, sepsis, endocarditis, and even death.

At the rat bite, there may be lesions such as swelling, edema, sometimes rashes, necrotic hemorrhage, and reactive lymphadenopathy in the area,” Dr. Cuong noted.

Prevention of Sodoku disease

Dr. Cuong added that infections and poisoning caused by rat bites are not common. However, in reality, there have been many cases of hospitalization and complications, complicated disease progression, and life-threatening. Therefore, preventive measures are needed such as: keeping the house clean and airy so that rats have no place to live.

Food and drinks are always carefully preserved, not scattered or left open, creating conditions for rats to enter and destroy.

Kill rats, disinfect, and properly dispose of waste. Do not use water or food that may be contaminated by rats. Pet rat owners should also be careful when handling rats and clean their cages properly.

According to Dr. Cuong, when bitten or scratched by a rat, you need to clean the wound with clean water and soap for the first 15 minutes, then wash the wound with antiseptic solutions such as 90-degree alcohol, iodine, betadine… and go immediately to the nearest medical facility for timely treatment.

At the medical facility, the patient is assessed for exposure risk and may be vaccinated against tetanus and given antibiotics for 5-7 days. If the patient experiences high fever, swollen wounds, swollen lymph nodes, etc., they should go to a medical facility for examination and timely treatment.