A 6-month-old Pennsylvania child has died after a rat his family was raising to feed a pet snake bit him, transmitting two deadly conditions, according to CBS News.

Tests found that the boy died of meningitis and myocarditis, diseases caused by rat-bite fever, which is extremely rare, but can be transmitted by rodent bites, as the name implies.

"It was pretty dominant in the baby's brain," Charlie Hall, Cumberland (Penn.) County Coroner told CBS News.

The baby was rushed to the emergency room Dec. 30 and died in the emergency room two days later. The autopsy report was released Thursday.

"It's bizarre," Hall said. The coroner said he's never seen anything like it.

Read CBS News' full story.

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In this file photo from October 2024, Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler and teammates react after losing to the San Diego Padres 5-4 in San Diego. The Braves and Soler, who now plays for the Los Angeles Angels, face a lawsuit by a fan injured at a 2021 World Series game at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

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