A case of tularemia from a hamster bite
“Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describe the case of a 3-year-old boy from Colorado who came down with tularemia after being bitten by a pet hamster.”
Tularemia is an infection caused by the bacteria Francisella tularensis. Humans can get infected by a variety of sources, including animal bites and scratches, inadequately cooked meat, or bites by ticks, flies and mosquitoes.
Affected patients typically present with a fever and a single erythematous lesion with a central eschar. Here is a picture via UptoDate:
After an incubation period of 2 to 10 days, symptoms like an abrupt onset of fever, headache and malaise can be seen. This patient was initially given Augmentin – normally a good choice for animal bites. However, in cases of tularemia, it is not effective. Streptomycin is the drug of choice, with a 97 percent cure rate. The overall mortality of tularemia is between 2 to 4 percent.
