title: Fatal Capnocytophaga canimorsus septicemia in a previously healthy woman.
abstract: A previously healthy 47-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with septic shock five days after a small dog bite on the dorsum of her hand. Capnocytophaga canimorsus was isolated from blood cultures. Despite intensive therapy, multiple organ failure developed, and the patient died 27 days after admission. Characteristics of Capnocytophaga (formerly CDC group Dysgonic Fermenter-2) infection are briefly discussed. This unusual outcome in a previously healthy patient and the need for careful management of dog bite wounds, even if initially very small, is emphasized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency and Intensive Medicine, Universitaires St-Luc, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hantson
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Gautier
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Vekemans
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fievez
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Evrard
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wauters
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mahieu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000150:complications*; D002206:Capnocytophaga / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004285:Dogs / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018805:Sepsis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission