Rat-bite fever in pet rats and mice (Streptobacillus moniliformis, potentially fatal zoonosis)
Source: Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com), a copyrighted professional veterinary reference. Per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3, the points below are paraphrased derived fact summaries: numerical values and proper nouns are preserved from the source, but sentences are rewritten and not quoted verbatim.
Claims
*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Streptobacillus moniliformis normally lives in rats' nasal passages without making them ill, but if a rat bites a person the bacterium can cause rat-bite fever, a potentially fatal human disease.