acute infectious disease that can be caught from rats
See full dictionary entry for ratbite
ratbite fever in British English
or ratbite disease (ˈrætˌbaɪt)
noun
pathology
an acute infectious febrile disease caused by the bite of a rat infected with either of two pathogenic bacteria (Streptobacillus moniliformis or Spirillum minus)
ratbite fever in American English
(ˈrætˌbaɪt)
an infectious disease that is transmitted by the bite of an infected rat or other animal, characterized by a bluish-red rash, attacks of fever, and muscular pain, and caused by either a spirochete (Spirillum minus) or by a bacillus (Streptobacillus moniliformis)