Capnocytophaga canimorsus: infection, septicaemia, recovery and reconstruction

• Published in: Journal of medical microbiology Vol. 57; no. 7; pp. 901 - 903
• Main Authors: Low, Stephanie Chiang-Mei, Greenwood, John Edward
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reading Soc General Microbiol 01.07.2008; Society for General Microbiology
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Bacillus; Bacteremia - diagnosis; Bacteremia - drug therapy; Bacteremia - microbiology; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial sepsis; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Blood - microbiology; Burns - complications; Capnocytophaga - classification; Capnocytophaga - isolation & purification; Capnocytophaga canimorsus; Dogs; Female; Foot Injuries - microbiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections - diagnosis; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections - drug therapy; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections - microbiology; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Saliva - microbiology; Bacteria; Capnocytophaga canimorsus; Flavobacteriaceae; Microbiology; Septicemia
• ISSN: 0022-2615; 1473-5644
• DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.47756-0

Burns Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia Correspondence Stephanie Chiang-Mei Low stephanie.low{at}health.sa.gov.au Received 8 November 2007 Accepted 11 March 2008 A case is presented of a life-threatening septicaemia and associated peripheral necrosing microembolic phenomenon, resulting from a dog lick to an insignificant burn wound. The isolated bacterium was Capnocytophaga canimorsus , a slow-growing Gram-negative bacillus commonly found in dog saliva. Any clinician seeing patients with a history of dog bite/saliva contact and progressive illness should consider this bacterium as a possible offender and take special care to elicit an accurate history, specifically including questions regarding animal contact.