ratbite fever

[rat-bahyt]

noun Pathology.

either of two relapsing febrile diseases, widely distributed geographically, caused by infection with Streptobacillus moniliformis or Spirillum minor and transmitted by rats.

Origin of ratbite fever

First recorded in 1905–10; rat + bite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for ratbite fever

ratbite fever

ratbite disease

noun

pathol an acute infectious febrile disease caused by the bite of a rat infected with either of two pathogenic bacteria (Streptobacillus moniliformis or Spirillum minus)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012