Canadian resident, bitten by toilet rat, hospitalized with organ failure due to bacterial infection

This real-life mutant sewer rat turned out to be much less friendly than the cartoon version known for hiding in the Big Apple sewers with his four turtle sons.

A toilet-dwelling rodent caused organ failure and septicemia in a Canadian after it sank its teeth into his hand.

The 76-year-old was trying to get the rat out of his toilet when the furry creature bit off two of his fingers.

He went to the emergency room and received basic wound care and a tetanus booster and was sent home.

But 18 days later, the septuagenarian was back in the emergency room. He suffered from a myriad of symptoms, including fever, headache and abdominal pain, which had lasted for three days, according to a report published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

His heart rate was elevated, his blood pressure was low and his kidneys were damaged, according to medical tests. He presented with signs of multiorgan dysfunction and sepsis and was admitted to the intensive care unit.

Although his bite was mostly healed, doctors suspected it might have something to do with his deteriorating condition.

They performed blood and urine tests and discovered the man had leptospirosis, a bacterial infection often transmitted to humans from animals like rats and which can be fatal in rare and severe cases.

The bacteria is found in animal urine and doctors believe the rat may have had a mouthful of contaminated urine when it bit the Canadian’s fingers, breaking the skin so the injured bacteria could enter its body , according to the report.

More than a million cases of leptospirosis are reported worldwide each year and almost 60,000 of them result in death. Mortality rates from bacterial infection are estimated to be between 5 and 15 percent, according to the study.

In the Canadian’s case, he received treatment including antibiotics and steroids, and was released from the intensive care unit after three days.