Re: URGENT!!! Re: [rat-30] Human-rat question re illness - maybe aergic reaction

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Raquel Cintron

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Jun 26, 2012, 12:11:46 PM6/26/12
to rat...@meetup.com, Pittsburgh rat group google, boulderrats
Debbie Ducommun's article, "Rat-bite Fever":

Raquel
***

On Tue, Jun 26, 2012 at 11:41 AM, Raquel Cintron <raquel....@gmail.com> wrote:
Additional reference:
Rat bite fever:

Raquel
***

On Tue, Jun 26, 2012 at 8:07 AM, Raquel Cintron <raquel....@gmail.com> wrote:
Rodent to human diseases, useful links:

Rat bite fever:

LCMV (Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus):

Leptospirosis:

I added leptospirosis because, even though it is unlikely to infect pet rats, pet rats may transmit what's in their environment, say, for example, by exposure to a wild rat at home or in a pet shop, etc.

Therefore, it may be a good idea to have the child tested for leptospirosis as well as rat bite fever and LCMV (especially if the immune system is compromised).

Please feel free to give the person my email. I do not do Facebook.

Thank you,
Raquel
***

On Tue, Jun 26, 2012 at 5:16 AM, Raquel Cintron <raquel....@gmail.com> wrote:
The doctor must be told all species to which the family is exposed. Pet rats must be mentioned to the doctor. Then, the doctor can consider the possible illnesses, such as Rat Bite Fever, LCMV (Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus), etc. 

Always tell the doctor all species of exposure, please!

Prompt, correct medical attention is essential! Please google Rat Bite Fever CDC.

If the vet is not thoroughly trained specifically in rat medicine and very experienced with rats, please have him consult Dr. Anthony A. Pilny, DVM, DABVP, Center for Avian and Exotic Medicine, New York City, 212 501 8750.

Please do not worry. The important thing is to inform the doctor about the rats, dogs, cats, etc., even though that may not be relevant, but it may.

The child should be tested for Rat Bite Fever even if there has not been a bite. It is not necessary to get rid of the rats. If it's Rat Bite Fever, the rats can be treated with doxycycline (or other indicated antibiotic) as directed by Dr. Pilny, if he agrees that this will address the issue. If it's rat bite fever, the rats can be treated.

I need the email of the parent so that I can connect Dr. Pilny.

Thank you,
Raquel
***

POSTED:
have you heard of any cases of fancy rats passing Leptospirosis, Lyme, or any other diseases to children? I don't want to think this but my daughter is so sick and has been sick almost every month since I got my rats and we have not been very careful, kissing them, letting them run in our beds and such, and you know they pee a lot.....my daughter has the docs stumped and they gave her a test for Lyme Disease Friday, I will get the results back Monday but I never even thought of the rats or mentioned them to her doc. I was googline Lyme disease and saw something about rats so searched more and came to realize it may be possible for pet rats to get a child sick? My daughter's symptoms are flulike and sound a lot like although you can imagine those symptoms fit a lot of bugs as well. I am planning to take rats in to vet Monday as well as inform Em's doc that we have them but I am going crazy thinking and decided I would try to ask you guys what your experiences were these many years of caring for rats? My rats are members of my family, this is a devastating possibility. If you have any thoughts please share!
On Sun, Jun 24, 2012 at 10:03 PM, Jasmin <gypsyd...@hotmail.com> wrote:
We had an issue last summer with a couple of PEW's we adopted last year. One had bitten my boyfriend and the other bit me. They thought we had food in our hands. My boyfriend had the chills and neasea. I was fine. I read up on rat bite fever and got worried to the point of paranoid. The article mentioned arthritis as one of the symptomsI ran to the ER and the doctor told me that he has many peolpe come in for rat bites and even the lab technicians upstairs from him come down asking to be treated from the rat bites. He said that even if it were the RBF most cases our own bodies fight off the infection. I asked for antibiotics just incase, he said it's most likely I dont have it and even if I were his sister or mother he would say the same thing to them. He didn't give me antibiotics because he says he didnt want my body to get too immune to antibiotics. He did give me a tetanus shot because I wasn't up to date, and put bacitracin on my cut with a band-aid. He said RBF was something similar to streph throat. That's why the name was similar.  So, I had both rats tested from our vets anyway. The tests were done with  a cotton swab and the saliva sent to a lab, and cost $130 each. They were tested for Streptobacillus moniliformis . They came back negative.  My boyfriend got bit again because he doesn't listen when I told him not to try to touch them through the bars since they were used to being fed through the bars. He got the same symptoms again chills, nausea and stayed in bed for 2 days. We realized he has an alergic reaction to their saliva. So I asked him to make sure he wears gloves when handling them. He still doesn't listen. He got sick maybe every 3 weeks or so because he knows he's allergic but still sticks his fingers through the bars. But at least now we know our rats don't have any comunicable disease. Recently he's been scratched by accident when he let them ride on his shoulder. The scratch mark swelled up and itched him for a few hours. I've been scratched in the same way and nothing happend to me. 
If the little girl gets sick around the rats, I would have the rats tested by the vet. I read the cure for humans bitten with RBF is antibiotics. But it is a possibility that she is just allergic to their saliva like my boyfriend is.  If the rats turn up positive they might have to have antibiotics as well.
I hope everything works out fine for the little girl. There is a culture test for the Leptospirosis that the little girl can take.  

OK folks, got a distress email from a recent rat owner.  Any thoughts?

have you heard of any cases of fancy rats passing Leptospirosis, Lyme, or any other diseases to children? I don't want to think this but my daughter is so sick and has been sick almost every month since I got my rats and we have not been very careful, kissing them, letting them run in our beds and such, and you know they pee a lot.....my daughter has the docs stumped and they gave her a test for Lyme Disease Friday, I will get the results back Monday but I never even thought of the rats or mentioned them to her doc. I was googline Lyme disease and saw something about rats so searched more and came to realize it may be possible for pet rats to get a child sick? My daughter's symptoms are flulike and sound a lot like although you can imagine those symptoms fit a lot of bugs as well. I am planning to take rats in to vet Monday as well as inform Em's doc that we have them but I am going crazy thinking and decided I would try to ask you guys what your experiences were these many years of caring for rats? My rats are members of my family, this is a devastating possibility. If you have any thoughts please share!

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