The patient stated that on December 15, while the couple was chasing a rat, they were bitten on their finger, causing it to bleed. The couple then washed their hands with soap and applied some menthol oil to the wound.

Five days later, both of them developed a high fever, with one of them even lying lethargic, delirious, and feeling chills all over the body. The rat bite wound became swollen and painful. After two days of self-monitoring at home without improvement, they went to a district hospital, where they received a tetanus shot and were transferred to Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi.

At the Tropical Disease Center, the two patients were diagnosed with "rat-bite fever" (sodoku). After more than a week of intensive treatment with an effective antibiotic regimen, their clinical signs improved significantly, and they were discharged on the afternoon of December 31, 2024.

Sodoku Disease Caused by Spirochetes Transmitted by Rats

Regarding rat-bite fever, Associate Professor-Doctor Do Duy Cuong, Director of the Tropical Disease Center at Bach Mai Hospital, said that rat-bite fever (sodoku) is an infection and systemic poisoning caused by a spirochete named spirillum minus. This spirochete is found in the throats of various rat species and is transmitted directly through rat bites.

The incubation period of the disease ranges from 3 days to 2 weeks. The symptoms often include high fever, chills in cycles, muscle and joint pain, headaches, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, vomiting, fatigue, and in severe cases, delirium and coma.

"If the poisoning is severe and not treated in time, complications such as meningitis, hepatitis, pleuritis, myocarditis, arthritis, and in the worst cases, sepsis, endocarditis, and even death can occur. The rat-bite wound may show signs of damage, such as swelling, edema, and sometimes rash, necrotic bleeding, and reactive lymph node inflammation in the area," Dr. Cuong warned.

Prevention of Sodoku

Dr. Cuong further noted that infections and poisoning caused by rat bites are not common. However, there have been several cases that required hospitalization with many complications and complex disease progression, threatening lives. Therefore, preventive measures are necessary, such as maintaining clean and well-ventilated homes to prevent rats from having a place to dwell.