The man had to have surgery on his hand and arm (Picture: Getty/Emerging Infectious Diseases)

A British man had to be rushed to emergency surgery after developing a mysterious bacterial infection from a cat bite.

The man’s arm swelled up dramatically and needed the procedure to remove infected tissue from around the bite on his hand and arm.

The 38-year-old man, who hasn’t been named, went to A&E after being bitten and doctors gave him antibiotics and a tetanus jab before sending him away, LBC reports.

But the next day he realised something was still badly wrong with his arm, and he went back to hospital.

Doctors noticed some of his fingers were severely swollen. After the surgery he was given three more kinds of antibiotics.

The treatment was a success, but doctors were not able to identify the cause.

A sample from the infection revealed it was an unknown organism, similar to the bacteria Streptococcus which causes meningitis.

But the sample suggested this was a completely new microbe which has never been reported before, and it could be a ‘distinct and previously undescribed species’.

The case, following treatment for the infection in 2020, was recorded in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases in an article by researchers from Cambridge, Imperial College and the UK Health Security Agency.

Researchers say cats are reservoirs of undetected bacterial species.

Cat bites can be dangerous, and if bitten people are advised to wash the wound with soap or salt, and see a doctor straight away.

A sample from the infection revealed it was an unknown organism, similar to the bacteria Streptococcus which causes meningitis.