Rat bite fever: a misnomer?

We report a case of rat bite fever (Streptobacillus moniliformis) in a young man who presented generally unwell with pyrexia, vomiting, arthralgia and deranged liver function. Two weeks before his illness he had disposed of a dead rat but was not bitten by it. This zoonotic infection was treated with broad spectrum antibiotics and he made a complete recovery.