Following Rat Bite, Canadian Man Suffers Kidney Failure, Severe Bacterial infection

A 76-year-old citizen of Canada suffered severe bacterial infection and was hospitalised after he was bitten by a rat in his bathroom.

The rat bit two of his fingers, according to a case study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

As initial measure, the man bitten by the rat reached the emergency department of a hospital in Montreal, Quebec, where he was given wound care and a booster dose of tetanus vaccine.

But after 18 days, the man was admitted to the hospital after experiencing fever for three days, headache and abdominal pain. The man’s blood pressure was low and his heart was beating fast.

Doctor’s were surprised to find that his kidneys were damaged and his blood platelet count was very low, which is a medical condition called thrombocytopenia.

The patient was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) as he began showing signs of multiple organ dysfunction and sepsis.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals. This disease is caused by the spiral-shaped bacteria Leptospira. It was suspected that the man was infected of this disease through the rat bite.

Wild mammals, particularly rats, represent the most important reservoir of Leptospira.”

Each year, more than 1 million cases of leptospirosis are reported worldwide, resulting in 60,000 deaths.

If the disease is severe in some people, it can cause organ failure like bleeding in the lungs.