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. 2022 Apr;28(4):886-888.
doi: 10.3201/eid2804.204965.

Streptobacillus notomytis Bacteremia after Exposure to Rat Feces

Akira Kawashima, Satoshi Kutsuna, Akira Shimomura, Lubna Sato, Honami Ando, Tsutomu Tanikawa, Maki Nagashima, Tohru Miyoshi-Akiyama, Takeshi Inagaki, Norio Ohmagari

Streptobacillus notomytis Bacteremia after Exposure to Rat Feces

Akira Kawashima et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2022 Apr.

Abstract

To determine the source of Streptobacillus notomytis bacteremia in a woman in Japan with signs of rat-bite fever, we examined rat feces from her home. After culture and PCR failed to identify the causative organism in the feces, next-generation sequencing detected Streptobacillus spp., illustrating this procedure's value for identifying causative environmental organisms.

Keywords: Streptobacillus; Streptobacillus notomytis; bacteria; next-generation sequencing; rats; zoonoses.

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Figure
Figure
Results of testing for the causative agent of rat-bite fever in a 70-year-old woman in Japan. A) Gram-stained blood smear showing chain-shaped gram-negative bacilli; original magnification ×1,000. B) Small, smooth colonies in culture of healthy human serum (provided by one of the authors of this article) on 5% sheep blood agar. Further testing identified the bacilli as Streptobacillus notomytis.
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