Capnocytophaga canimorsus bacteremia presenting with acute cholecystitis after a dog bite.

Abstract

Capnocytophaga canimorsus is part of normal gingival flora of dogs and cats. The organism can cause septicemia, meningitis, and endocarditis in humans after contact with dogs or cats. In spite of the frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms in C. canimorsus infection patients, specific gastrointestinal disease or clinical images have not been reported. We report a case of C. canimorsus bacteremia presenting with acute cholecystitis in elderly woman. She suffered from general fatigue and right upper abdominal pain. She had leukocytosis and abnormal liver function tests. She showed abnormal findings of the gallbladder by abdominal computed tomography and ultrasonography. She was diagnosed with acute cholecystitis without gallstones and was administered with antibiotics. C. canimorsus was isolated from blood cultures. A history of an insignificant wound secondary to a dog bite was elicited. She recovered completely with antibiotic treatment. This case revealed that C. canimorsus bacteremia can be presented with acute cholecystitis, suggesting that C. canimorsus could cause cholecystitis. And this cholecystitis can be treated with antibiotics without operation. Physicians seeing patients with acute cholecysitis should ask questions regarding animal contact.

• Authors: Hiroaki Nishioka, Tomohiro Kozuki, Hiroki Kamei
• Journal: Journal of infection and chemotherapy : official journal of the Japan Society of Chemotherapy (J Infect Chemother) Vol. 21 Issue 3 Pg. 215-7 (Mar 2015) ISSN: 1437-7780 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 25445385 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2014 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy and The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Anti-Bacterial Agents
• Clavulanic Acid
• Amoxicillin

Topics

• Aged, 80 and over
• Amoxicillin (therapeutic use)
• Animals
• Anti-Bacterial Agents (therapeutic use)
• Bacteremia (diagnosis, drug therapy, microbiology)
• Bites and Stings (complications)
• Capnocytophaga (isolation & purification)
• Cholecystitis, Acute (diagnosis, drug therapy, microbiology)
• Clavulanic Acid (therapeutic use)
• Dogs
• Drug Therapy, Combination
• Female
• Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections (diagnosis, drug therapy, microbiology)
• Humans