Abstract
Introduction:Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a common bacterium in oral cavity of dogs and cats. Severesepsis can develop following a dog or cat bite or scratch in susceptible individuals.
Main risk factor for severeinfections is immune deficit.Case presentation: We describe a case of eighty-one-years old woman with significant comorbidities admitted tothe hospital with fever and non-specific symptoms following a fall at home. She was bitten by her dog 3 days prior toadmission with a small wound on her hand.
She had cardiac arrest with cardiopulmonary resuscitation eleven hoursafter admission and died ten hours later in ICU from refractory septic shock. PCR confirmed C. canimorsus as acausative organism.Conclusions: Severe infections caused by C. canimorsus can develop following a bite or a scratch by dog or cat.Fulminant sepsis with fatal outcome can rapidly evolve and the main risk factor among patient population is presentimmune deficiency.
Clinicians should be aware of this fact and any person at risk presenting to the hospital withrecent bite or scratch injury by dog or cat should be given adequate antibiotic treatment.