A 23-year-old black woman was admitted to the hospital in premature labor with 
intact amniotic membranes. The patient was afebrile and did not have any obvious 
signs of infection. Gram stain of the amniotic fluid, obtained via 
transabdominal amniocentesis, revealed the presence of gram-negative rods. The 
bacterium was identified as Streptobacillus moniliformis, the agent of rat-bite 
fever.