RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Capnocytophaga canimorsus meningitis and bacteraemia without a dog bite in an immunocompetent individual
JF BMJ Case Reports
JO BMJ Case Reports
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP e242432
DO 10.1136/bcr-2021-242432
VO 14
IS 7
A1 Fiona O'Riordan
A1 Aoife Ronayne
A1 Arthur Jackson
YR 2021
UL http://casereports.bmj.com/content/14/7/e242432.abstract
AB We describe the case of an immunocompetent 75-year-old man with Capnocytophaga canimorsus bacteraemia and meningitis. C. canimorsus is commonly found in the oral flora of dogs with human infection typically occurring following a bite. Unusually, while our patient was a dog owner, there was no history of bite nor scratch mark. Admission blood cultures flagged positive for Gram-negative bacilli, but prolonged molecular analysis was required before C. canimorsus was isolated in blood and cerebrospinal fluid. There is a high mortality rate in invasive infection, and in our patient’s case, antibiotic therapy was commenced prior to laboratory confirmation with our patient making a complete recovery. This case highlights the importance of including C. canimorsus in the differential diagnosis of unwell patients who keep dogs, even without a bite. This case occurred amid heightened awareness of COVID-19, which may represent predisposition for zoonoses during social isolation and increased human–pet contact.