Abstract

The name of Streptobacillus moniliformis was given to a pleomorphic gram-negative bacillus recovered repeatedly by Levaditti, Nicolau and Poincloux1 from the blood and skin lesions of one of them, who suffered from an acute disease characterized by recurrent attacks of fever, exanthem and arthritis. A few years later Levaditti, Selbie and Schoen2 reported that natural occurring and artificially produced Streptobacillus moniliformis infections in white mice resulted in a disease simulating rheumatic fever in that arthritis and myocarditis were observed frequently. An epidemic caused by the same bacillus was observed in Haverhill, Massachusetts.3 In this also erythema and arthritis were the most characteristic symptoms of the disease. Streptobacillus moniliformis is a common inhabitant of the nasopharynx of rats. Therefore, it is probable that similar organisms isolated from human cases of rat bite fever prior to the time of the report by Levaditti et al. represents Streptobacillus moniliformis strains. Although human infections are uncommon, the study of this organism presents great interest, considering its marked affinity to the joints. Of the bacteria pathogenic to man, only the gonococcus exhibits a similar though less marked affinity to the joints, and the gonococcus cannot be transmitted to animals.