I’m not a big fan of the title of a paper in the latest edition of the Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology…”Pets are ‘risky business’ for patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis” (Yahya et al 2013), even though it’s an interesting paper that actually takes a reasonable
Capnocytophaga Info Sheet
We’ve just posted a new info sheet about Capnocytophaga. One member of this bacterial group in particular, Capnocytophaga canimorsus, makes the news periodically because it can cause devastating infection in some individuals, like the Ottawa woman who lost three limbs after one of her own dogs accidentally bit her. This kind of
Another Capnocytophaga infection
The title gives it away: "Single, uninsured Ottawa mom loses three limbs to rare illness."
My first thought? Another Capnocytophaga canimorsus infection.
That’s what is was – another rare but devastating infection cause by this bacterium, which can be found in the mouth of pretty much any dog.
People get exposed to C.
Capnocytophaga and dog bites: Changing disease or more reporting?
I seem to write about this bug a lot – disproportionately for a rare cause of infection – but it just keeps getting attention. Reading the title of a recent article "Woman loses legs, fingers to rare infection from dog bite," it was an easy guess that the infection was caused by Capnocytophaga canimorsus
Dog bite infections in the news
It might just be my perception, but it seems like there are a lot more reports of nasty dog bite infections in the news lately, particularly infections caused by the bacterium Capnocytophaga canimorsus. I don’t know whether that’s because they are becoming more common, more commonly diagnosed (since the bug is hard to identify)
UK dog bite death inquest
An inquest into the dog-bite-associated death of Gary Dickinson, age 57, is underway in the UK. When people think about deaths from dog bites, they usually think about death from severe trauma, especially in kids. However, as I’ve mentioned repeatedly, minor bites can also pose major risks.
Mr. Dickinson died in February, only three
Dog bite death
A 35-year-old UK man has died following a seemingly innocuous dog bite. He was nipped by the family’s pet dog, not during an aggressive incident but just a playful, boisterous dog. Later, he developed a fever. He saw a doctor the next day and was told that he had influenza based on his clinical
Fatal dog bite
The family of a Washington state man is suing a dog owner after the man was bitten and developed a fatal infection. News reports are somewhat sketchy and contain some inconsistent information, but it appears that Kenneth Bock was bitten by Buddy, a coon hound, at his place of work. There are conflicting stories
No spleen + dog bite = beware
A report from Seattlepi.com is a textbook example of what can happen to certain people after dog bites. Mike Moore tried to break up a fight involving his two dogs and received a minor bite. It barely broke the skin. No big deal, eh? Well, perhaps for most people, but unfortunately not for Mr.
No spleen, no pets?
The spleen is an important part of the immune system. It is especially important for fighting off certain types of infections. People who have had their spleen removed or whose spleen is not working properly are therefore at greater risk of some infectious diseases. The risk of infection is highest in the first few years