Skip to main content
ratbite fever bacterium

ratbite fever bacterium

7.9
A germ that makes you have a fever after a rat bites you
  • noun
  • /ˈrætˌbaɪt ˈfiːvər ˈbæktɪriəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : bacteria de la fiebre por mordedura de rata
  • Treatment for infection with a ratbite fever bacterium usually involves antibiotics.

Examples

  • The patient developed a fever after exposure to a ratbite fever bacterium.

  • Scientists identified the ratbite fever bacterium in the laboratory samples.

  • The ratbite fever bacterium can be transmitted through contaminated food.

  • Many people are unaware of the ratbite fever bacterium and its effects.

  • Researchers discovered the ratbite fever bacterium in rats collected from urban areas.

  • The ratbite fever bacterium can lead to serious health issues if not treated promptly.

  • Doctors warn that the ratbite fever bacterium poses a risk to those who handle wild rodents.

Synonyms

Spirillum minus
vsratbite fever bacterium
  • Specialized
9.9

A bacterium that causes rat-bite fever in people after a bite from a rat or mouse

is the general term for any bacterium causing the disease transmitted by rat bites

Surface Forms

Morphology

ratbite + fever + bacterium

The phrase is compositionally transparent: it denotes a bacterium associated with rat-bite fever — literally built from 'rat' + 'bite' + 'fever' + 'bacterium'. Even though 'ratbite' appears as a single token here, the meaning follows regular noun-compound formation and is inferable by learners who know the constituent words.

Etymology

Ratbite fever bacterium is named after the illness ratbite fever: the simple scene is a rat bite followed by a high fever, and doctors found a bacterium that made people sick. So the name means 'the bacterium that causes ratbite fever'.