A woman from Abingdon died after contracting rat bite fever from her pet rat, an inquest has heard. Simone Stapley, 34, was bitten on the finger by her rat on 3 November 2018. Despite the wound becoming infected, she ignored repeated calls from an NHS 111 operator to visit her GP.
On 8 November, Ms Stapley suffered a cardiac arrest at her home in Abingdon. Her boyfriend, Ryan Bligdon, found her confused and believing she had seen her son on the stairs when he was not there. He called an ambulance, but she was pronounced dead at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
A post-mortem examination revealed she was infected with streptobacillus moniliformis, the bacterium that causes rat bite fever. Coroner Darren Salter recorded a verdict of accidental death.
Mr Salter warned that people should be aware of the risks from rat bites or scratches and seek medical advice promptly. He noted that most cases can be treated with a short course of antibiotics.
