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We present the case of a 71-year-old man who developed sepsis caused by Capnocytophaga canimorsus as a result of being bitten by his own dog. Positive blood cultures were obtained, but due to difficulties in determining the bacterial species, the patient was treated empirically with ceftriaxone and levofloxacin. After using the recommended empirical therapy, the patient's condition improved. Capnocytophaga canimorsus is difficult to identify, among others, due to its long growth time and specific development conditions (capnophiles). These Gram-negative bacilli cause a number of diseases in humans, ranging from infections of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, through peritonitis, to sepsis. The portal of infection with these bacteria is most often a wound caused by an animal bite. Additional risk factors that increase the risk of developing a severe infection and even death include older age, concomitant chronic diseases, and immunosuppression.

We report a case of Vandammella animalimorsus in an adult female patient following a cat scratch/bite. Animal bite/scratches may lead to zoonotic transmission of bacteria that subsequently lead to infection. Wound management and antimicrobial therapy is often necessary. The organism was initially misidentified as Neisseria animaloris/zoodegmatis and highlights the difficulty of correctly identifying some bacteria in clinical microbiology laboratories.

Pasteurellosis is a common zoonotic infection that occurs after an animal bite or scratch (B/S). We compared the clinical features of six patients with non-B/S pasteurellosis with those of 14 patients with B/S infections. Pasteurella multocida was identified with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry in all six non-B/S infections, whereas 13 of the 14 B/S infections were identified with diagnostic kits. The non-B/S infections were pneumonia (n = 3), skin and soft tissue infections (n = 2), and bacteremia (n = 1). Pneumonia occurred in two patients with underlying pulmonary disease, whereas ventilator-associated pneumonia developed in one patient with cerebral infarction. Pasteurella multocida was isolated from a blood specimen and nasal swab from a patient with liver cirrhosis (Child-Pugh class C) and diabetes. Cellulitis developed in one patient with diabetes and normal-pressure hydrocephalus, who had an open wound following a fall, and in one patient with diabetes and a foot ulcer. Three patients with non-B/S infections had no pet and no episode of recent animal contact. The rate of moderate-to-severe comorbidities was significantly higher in patients with non-B/S infections than in those with B/S infections (100% and 14.3%, respectively, p < 0.001). In conclusion, non-B/S infections can develop in patients with chronic pulmonary disease, invasive mechanical ventilation, or open wounds, or who are immunocompromised, irrespective of obvious animal exposure. In contrast to B/S infections, non-B/S pasteurellosis should be considered opportunistic., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All the authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, and Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Patients and physicians often underestimate cat bite injuries. The deep and narrow wound seals quickly and provides an environment for the inoculated saliva and bacteria. Interestingly, the literature reports no bacterial growth in the microbiological workup of wound swaps in up to 43%. The time between bite injury and the first clinical presentation, the start of antibiotic treatment and surgical debridement might affect these findings. Therefore, the current project examines if (1) these factors impact the outcome of microbiological results following cat bite injuries and (2) the detection of bacterial growth leads to higher complication rates, longer hospital stays, longer total treatment time, or higher total treatment costs., Materials and Methods: This single-center retrospective study analyzed data from 102 adult patients. All patients received antibiotic and surgical treatment following a cat bite injury. Microbiological samples were collected during surgery in all cases. The time from the bite incident to the first presentation, beginning of antibiotic administration, and surgical debridement was calculated. Demographic data, complication rate, length of hospital stay, total treatment time, and total treatment costs were recorded. (1) A generalized linear model was fitted using the microbiological outcome as the dependent variable. (2) Two groups (negative or positive microbiological results) were formed and statistically compared., Results: The median age was 50 (SD 16), and 72% were female. (1) The time from the bite incident to the first clinical presentation, antibiotic administration, or surgical treatment was not associated with the outcome of the microbiological result. (2) No significant differences were observed between the two groups., Conclusions: Our data do not suggest that early antibiotic administration or delayed surgical treatment affects the outcome of the microbiological workup following cat bite injuries to the hand and forearm. The microbiological outcome did not affect the complication rate, treatment time, and total treatment costs., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Competing Interests: Competing interests: Marc Brosseau reports serving as the local principal investigator for 2 AztraZeneca research projects on viral pneumonia and asthma, outside the submitted work (all funds directed to the institution; no personal remuneration). Dr. Brosseau has also received a paid salary for call as a physician-coordinator for Transplant Quebec. No other competing interests were declared.

CDC group non-oxidizer (NO)-1 is the provisional name designated in 1993 for phenotypically similar, Gram-stain-negative bacilli recovered primarily from human wound infections after animal bites. Otherwise, this group has been rarely alluded to in recent literature. CDC NO-1 strains had been described as non-motile, asaccharolytic, oxidase-negative, catalase-positive, nitrate-reducing bacilli, with predominate cellular fatty acids of C 10 : 0 3OH, C 16 : 1  ω7 c , C 16 : 0 and C 18 : 1  ω7 c . Only one 16S rRNA gene sequence deposited in NCBI (accession no. DQ054782) had been identified as CDC group NO-1 prior to this study. That sequence was closely related (>99 % identity) to sequences called ' Xenophilus species' from canine (JN713339) and feline (KM461961) oral microbiomes as well as to sequences derived from human strains (this study). Some of the 11 isolates delineated here were recovered from human wound infections subsequent to cat/dog bites; others were from wounds (links to animal bites not described) and two were recovered from dialysates. After 16S rRNA and whole genome sequencing, the isolates were found to be most closely related to each other but fell into two distinct genera assignable to the family Comamonadaceae , provisionally discussed here as CDC group NO-1 and CDC group NO-1-like. The genomes of CDC group NO-1 isolates ranged from 3.08 to 3.38 MB with G+C contents of 65.08-66.92 %; genomes derived from CDC group NO-1-like strains were smaller, ranging from 2.72 to 2.82 Mb with G+C contents of 62.87-63.0 mol%. Based on a polyphasic study of these bacteria, we describe Vandammella animalimorsus gen. nov., sp. nov. and Franklinella schreckenbergeri gen. nov., sp. nov. for these clusters.

Tail biting is an abnormal behaviour that causes stress, injury and pain. Given the critical role of the gut-microbiota in the development of behavioural problems in humans and animals, the aim of this study was to determine whether pigs that are biters, victims of tail biting or controls (nine matched sets of pigs) have a different microbiota composition, diversity and microbial metabolite profile. We collected faecal and blood samples from each individual for analysis. The gut microbiota composition was most different between the biter and the control pigs, with a higher relative abundance of Firmicutes in tail biter pigs than the controls. Furthermore, we detected differences in faecal and plasma short chain fatty acids (SCFA) profiles between the biter and victim pigs, suggesting physiological differences even though they are kept in the same pen. Thus, in addition to supporting an association between the gut microbiota and tail biting in pigs, this study also provides the first evidence of an association between tail biting and SCFA. Therefore, further research is needed to confirm these associations, to determine causality and to study how the SCFA profiles of an individual play a role in the development of tail biting behaviour., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a Gram-negative capnophilic rod and part of dogs/cats' normal oral flora. It can be transmitted by bites, scratches, or even by contact of saliva with injured skin. Asplenic patients and patients with alcohol abuse are at particular risk for fulminant C. canimorsus sepsis. However, also immunocompetent patients can have a severe or even fatal infection. This is the first case of a severe C. canimorsus infection in an immunocompromised host complicated by acute renal cortical necrosis with a "reverse rim sign" in contrast-enhanced computed tomography on hospital admission., Case Presentation: We report the case of a 44-year functionally asplenic patient after an allogeneic stem cell transplantation, who presented with septic shock after a minor dog bite injury 4 days prior. Because of abdominal complaints, epigastric pain with local peritonism, and radiological gallbladder wall thickening, an abdominal focus was suspected after the initial work-up. The patient underwent emergent open cholecystectomy, but the clinical suspicion of abdominal infection was not confirmed. Septic shock was further complicated by cardiomyopathy and disseminated intravascular coagulation. As a causative pathogen, C. canimorsus could be isolated. The clinical course was complicated by permanent hemodialysis and extensive acral necrosis requiring amputation of several fingers and both thighs., Conclusion: We present a severe case of a C. canimorsus infection in a functionally asplenic patient after a minor dog bite. The clinical course was complicated by septic shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and the need for multiple amputations. In addition, the rare form of acute renal failure - bilateral acute renal cortical necrosis - was visible as "reverse rim sign" on computed tomography scan. This case is an example of the potential disastrous consequences when omitting pre-emptive antibiotic therapy in wounds inflicted by cats and dogs, particularly in asplenic patients.

Abstract: Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a bacteria commonly found in the normal oral cavity of dogs that can cause bacteremia in immunocompromised patients following a dog bite. This case describes sepsis and disseminated intravascular coagulation associated with C. canimorsus in a patient with a history of alcohol abuse. Clinicians must be alert to the risk factors for this infection and provide appropriate prophylaxis following dog bites., (Copyright © 2021 American Academy of Physician Assistants.)

Pasteur discovered the causative agent of fowl cholera ( Pasteurella multocida ) in 1880. Since then, multiple zoonotic infections affecting humans have been reported. P. multocida infections usually result from bites of cats or dogs. The earliest reports of nonbite transmissions (NBTs) were attributed to cat scratches and lung colonization. More recently, multiple modes of unusual NBTs have been reported, including animal exposures with no direct contact. Here, we report 79 cases of pet-associated infections, with 34 NBTs. Previously unreported and unsuspected, novel modes of NBTs presented include stepping on dog drool infecting a submetatarsal ulcer, contamination of a wound by socks covered with cat hair and dander resulting in P. multocida bacteremia, stumbling over a dog and falling while drunk and abrasions contaminated with dog saliva resulting in wound infection, and severe epiglottitis and supraglottitis after eating peanut butter and crackers half eaten by a dog. Cat bites were more common than dog bites. Both bite and nonbite infections were more common in the elderly, with more older patients in the nonbite group. Upper extremity bites were more than lower extremity bites for both cats and dogs. NBTs were associated with more co-morbidities and resulted in more life-threatening infections than bites, confirming the findings of a prior smaller series. Open wounds were the most common point of entry for nonbite infections, with majority in the lower extremity. Based on this study and prior reports, pet owners must protect open wounds and individuals with certain underlying conditions and infants should avoid pet exposure completely. Our findings and animal transmission of bite and nonbite P. multocida infections reported in literature are summarized.

Beneficial effects of cold atmospheric argon plasma (CAAP) on wound healing and its capacity for bacterial decontamination has recently been documented. First, in vivo studies in small animals did not prove any decontamination effect in canine bite wounds. The present study evaluated the overall decontamination effect of CAAP for different bacteria frequently encountered in canine bite wounds with respect to growth phase, initial bacteria concentration and treatment duration. Standard strains of Escherichia (E.) coli, Staphylococcus (S.) pseudintermedius, S. aureus, Streptococcus (S.) canis, Pseudomonas (P.) aeruginosa and Pasteurella multocida were investigated. To evaluate the influence of the bacterial growth phase, each bacterium was incubated for three and eight hours, before CAAP treatment. Three different bacterial concentrations were created per bacterium and growth phase, and were exposed to CAAP for 30 s, 1 min and 2 min. CAAP treatment resulted in acceptable decontamination rates (range 98.9-99.9%) in all bacteria species in vitro; however, differences in susceptibility were detected. Decontamination rate was mainly influenced by initial bacterial concentration and treatment time. Growth phase only influenced decontamination in S. pseudintermedius. Treatment time significantly (P < .05) correlated with the decontamination rate in E. coli, S. canis and S. aureus, with an exposure time of 2 min being most effective. Initial bacterial concentration significantly (P < .05) influenced decontamination in Pasteurella multocida and P. aeruginosa, in which treatment time was not as important. CAAP exerts effective antibacterial activity against the tested bacteria strains in vitro, with species specific effects of treatment time, growth phase and concentration., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A blood smear examination led to the diagnosis of severe bacterial infection in a splenectomized patient. The knowledge of a relevant clinical information (recent dog bite) could have led to immediate presumptive identification of the causative agent, Capnocytophaga canimorsus.

Vibrio vulnificus is a Gram-negative bacterium that belongs to the Vibrionaceae family. It represents a deadly opportunistic human pathogen which grows in water with the proper temperature and salinity, and is mostly acquired from seafood eating or direct contact. In susceptible individuals, a traumatic infection could be fatal, causing severe wound infection and even septic shock, and may require amputation. Global warming plays an important role in the geographical area expanding of Vibrio disease. The pathogenesis of Vibrio vulnificus-associated sepsis is very complex, including iron intake, cell injury, and adhesion-related protein and virulence regulation. Vibrio vulnificus infection mainly manifests clinical subtypes such as primary sepsis, traumatic infection, and gastroenteritis, with rapid symptom progression and signs of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). It is important to assess these pathogenetic mechanisms in order to select more appropriate measures to prevent and treat Vibrio vulnificus infections, including antibiotic usage and surgical intervention. In this work, we report a typical case of successful treatment of necrotizing fasciitis caused by Vibrio vulnificus, and review the epidemiology, pathogenetic mechanism, clinical characteristics, and treatment of Vibrio vulnificus infection.

Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Although catfish are found worldwide and commonly consumed in the southern United States, fatal infections from catfish are rare. Edwardsiella tarda is a bacterium known to cause gastrointestinal distress most commonly, but extraintestinal infections are a rarely considered danger for those acquiring, preparing, and consuming aquatic animals. Susceptible to all gram-negative active antibiotics, it is easily treated except in immunocompromised hosts, such as those with malignancy, diabetes, and hepatic dysfunction., (Copyright © 2019 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the most reported pathogen in hand infections at urban medical centers throughout the country. Antibiotic sensitivity trends are not well known. The purposes of this study were to examine and determine the drug resistance trends for MRSA infections of the hand and to provide recommendations for empiric antibiotic treatment based on sensitivity profiles. Methods: A 10-year longitudinal, retrospective chart review was performed on all culture-positive hand infections encountered at a single urban medical center from 2005 to 2014. The proportions of all organisms were calculated for each year and collectively. MRSA infections were additionally subanalyzed for antibiotic sensitivity. Results: A total of 815 culture-positive hand infections were identified. Overall, MRSA grew on culture in 46% of cases. A trend toward decreasing annual MRSA incidence was noted over the 10-year study period. There was a steady increase in polymicrobial infections during the same time. Resistance to clindamycin increased steadily during the 10-year study, starting at 4% in 2008 but growing to 31% by 2014. Similarly, levofloxacin resistance consistently increased throughout the study, reaching its peak at 56% in 2014. Conclusions: The annual incidence of MRSA in hand infections has declined overall but remains the most common pathogen. There has been an alternative increase in the number of polymicrobial infections. MRSA resistance to clindamycin and levofloxacin consistently increased during the study period. Empiric antibiotic therapy for hand infections should not only avoid penicillin and other beta-lactams but should also consider avoiding clindamycin and levofloxacin for empiric treatment.

Dogs have been implicated in the zoonotic transmission of numerous pathogens. Whereas cats are known to transmit Francisella tularensis to humans via bite and other routes, the role of dogs in facilitating infection is much less understood. We reviewed tularaemia case investigation records collected through national surveillance during 2006-2016 to summarize those with dog involvement, characterize the nature of dog-related exposure and describe associated clinical characteristics. Among 1,814 human tularaemia cases, 735 (41%) supplemental case investigation records were available for review; and of those, 24 (3.3%) were classified as dog-related. Median age of patients was 51 years (range: 1-82); 54% were female. Two thirds (67%) of cases presented with ulceroglandular/glandular tularaemia; pneumonic (13%) and oropharyngeal (13%) illness occurred less frequently. Dog-related exposures were classified as follows: direct contact via bite, scratch or face snuggling/licking (n = 12; 50%); direct contact with dead animals retrieved by domestic dogs (n = 8; 33%); and contact with infected ticks acquired from domestic dogs (n = 4; 17%). Prevention of dog-related tularaemia necessitates enhanced tularaemia awareness and tick avoidance among pet owners, veterinarians, health care providers and the general public., (Published 2018. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.)

Introduction: Goiás State, which is in the midwest region of Brazil, has several urban forests. This fact, along with the expansion of urban areas within the limits of Forest Conservation Units, increases the contact between humans and wildlife, such as capuchin monkeys. The impulsive behavior of these animals and the scarcity of food cause them to vigorously search for food, leading to direct encounters with Park visitors, which can result in scratches and bites and making them potential disseminators of pathogenic microorganisms., Methods: Ten specimens of bearded capuchin monkey (Sapajus libidinosus) were captured at the Onofre Quinan Environmental Park in Anápolis, Goiás, Brazil. Samples were collected from the monkeys, and the bacteria and fungi present in the samples were isolated and identified. Then, the identified microorganisms were subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing., Results: A total of 111 bacteria and 12 fungi were isolated, including two strict anaerobic bacteria of the genus Peptostreptococcus, 109 facultative anaerobic bacteria, and 12 yeasts. Among the facultative bacteria, enterobacteria and Staphylococcus were common. Resistance to tetracycline and ampicillin antibiotics was detected in the enterobacteria, and resistance to tetracycline, erythromycin, and clindamycin was detected in the Staphylococci. The other strains were sensitive to all tested antimicrobials. Cefoxitin showed 100% efficacy in all isolated bacteria., Conclusions: For bites from capuchin monkeys, we recommend performing complete hygiene and antibiotic therapy, according to medical recommendations. Given the 100% effectiveness of cefoxitin, it should be considered for this type of injury, especially in the study region.

We describe the case of a 61-year-old immunocompetent male who developed septic shock and multiorgan failure due to Capnocytophaga canimorsus (C. canimorsus) bloodstream infection, sustained from a dog bite. Unusually, this patient developed acute liver failure and splenic infarction in addition to many of the better-known clinical sequelae of C. canimorsus infection., Competing Interests: None declared

We report a case of a 60-year-old Caucasian man with a history of alcohol excess who presented to the emergency department with a 72-hour history of abdominal pain, profuse diarrhoea and vomiting. He was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) 12 hours later in extremis with severe sepsis and multiorgan failure. Collateral history from the patient on admission to ICU identified that he had been bitten by a dog 3 days prior to his symptom onset. Provisional microscopy and Gram staining from peripheral blood cultures taken on admission revealed the presence of long, thin Gram-negative bacilli in the anaerobic bottle only. This was later identified as Capnocytophaga canimorsus The patient survived the septic episode and was discharged to level 2 care 9 days later under the care of the renal physicians for ongoing renal dialysis., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2018. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Capnocytophaga canimorsus and Capnocytophaga cynodegmi, both commensal bacteria in the oral cavities of dogs and cats, are zoonotic pathogens. In particular, C. canimorsus causes sepsis and fatal septic shock. Recently, a novel Capnocytophaga species, C. canis, was isolated from the oral cavities of healthy dogs. It is reportedly oxidase-negative and therefore considered avirulent in humans. In the present study, three strains of C. canis were isolated from Japanese patients with sepsis. All three strains, HP20001, HP33001 and HP40001, were oxidase-positive. Nucleotide sequence identities of the 16S rRNA gene of the three strains to the C. canimorsus type strain ATCC35979, C. cynodegmi type strain ATCC49044 and C. canis type strain LMG29146 were 96.9-97.0%, 96.9-97.0% and 99.7-99.8%, respectively. Multi-locus sequence analysis based on seven house-keeping genes, dnaJ, fumC, glyA, gyrB, murG, trpB and tuf, revealed that the oxidase-positive C. canis strains isolated in Japan and oxidase-negative strains of C. canis from canine oral cavities in Switzerland were clustered in different genetic subgroups. These results indicate that the virulence of C. canis strains in humans is associated with oxidase activity., (© 2018 The Societies and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Rat bite fever due to Streptobacillus moniliformis induces typical but not pathognomonic clinical signs, such as local purulent wound infection followed by maculopapular exanthema, myalgia as well as purulent joint infections. Severe complications, such as osteomyelitis and endocarditis are possible. it seems that this infection is rarely diagnosed but this infection could be much more common because the final diagnostic proof is difficult to achieve. Firstly, the culture of these bacteria is critical because the bacteria are fastidious and secondly the exact differentiation of the isolates is hardly possible by standard laboratory methods. Modern techniques such as mass spectroscopy (MALDI-TOF) and molecular biology allow a precise clarification. Surgical cleansing of infection sites in combination with a rational antibiotic therapy, for example with beta-lactam antibiotics, are generally able to cure the infection if treatment is started early enough. In addition, vaccinations, for example against tetanus and rabies have to be considered in this situation as for all other bite wound infections.

Background: There are as many as 300,000 visits to the emergency department in the USA with animal bites every year. The most common infection after cat or dog bite is with Pasteurella Multocida. Many people infected will also have long-term central venous access for dialysis or for other reasons. No prior reports or guidelines exist regarding the management of P. multocida bacteremia due to line infection or bacteremia in the presence of long-term central venous access. We describe the successful treatment of an individual with P. multocida bacteremia secondary to tunnelled line infection managed with line retention., Case Presentation: A 21 year-old man with a history of granulomatosis with polyangiitis on home hemodialysis presented with fever and hypotension 3 days after dialysis catheter replacement. The patient was found to be bacteremic with Pasteurella Multocida and he subsequently reported a history of cat bite to his dialysis catheter. He declined removal of the tunnelled catheter and was thereafter treated for a total of 2 weeks with intravenous ceftazidime post-dialysis and gentamicin line-locks without recurrence of infection., Conclusions: Pasteurella Multocida bacteremia in the presence of a long-term central venous catheter is potentially curable using 2 weeks of intravenous antibiotics and line retention. Further data regarding outcomes of treatment in this setting are required though in select cases clinicians faced with a similar scenario could opt for trial of intravenous therapy and retention of central venous catheter.

We report a dual genotype Orientia tsutsugamushi infection in Vietnam in 2016. The patient had fever, rash, and an eschar. The Kawasaki genotype was identified in the eschar specimen and Karp genotype in the whole blood specimen. The genotype co-infection rate for scrub typhus is unknown and should be further evaluated.

Bartonella spp. have been identified in many bat species worldwide, including the zoonotic species, Candidatus Bartonella mayotimonensis. The common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) preys preferentially on livestock in Latin America and is frequently infected with Bartonella spp. To determine the potential role of D. rotundus in transmitting Bartonella to livestock, common vampire bats and bat-bitten domestic ruminants from Mexico were tested for Bartonella infection by blood culture or conventional PCR. Furthermore, to explore the possibility of bite transmission during blood feeding, saliva swabs from 35 D. rotundus known to be either Bartonella bacteremic (N = 17) or blood culture negative (N = 18) were tested by PCR to detect the presence of Bartonella DNA. Twenty (17.1%) of 117 sheep and 16 (34.8%) of 46 cattle were Bartonella bacteremic by PCR testing. However, none of them were infected with Bartonella strains previously isolated from vampire bats and none of the 35 D. rotundus saliva swabs tested were PCR positive for Bartonella. All but two animals among those which were Bartonella culture and/or PCR positive, were infected with either B. bovis (cattle) or B. melophagi (sheep). Two sheep were infected by a possible new species, Candidatus Bartonella ovis, being phylogenetically closer to B. bovis than B. melophagi. This study does not support the role of D. rotundus as a reservoir of Bartonella species infecting livestock, which could be transmitted via bite and blood feeding and therefore suggest limited risk of zoonotic transmission of Bartonella from common vampire bats to humans., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Capnocytophaga canimorsus infection was recently recognized as a zoonosis. We report the first case of fulminant septic shock in Italy caused by this pathogen. The patient, with a history of splenectomy, died at the main hospital in Brescia with a presumptive diagnosis of sepsis. PCR and sequencing on post mortem samples confirmed C. canimorsus as a causative organism. Our purpose is to alert medical professionals to the virulence of C. canimorsus in asplenic and immunocompromised patients., (Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the bacterial contamination rate and to compare the efficacy of polyhexanide, cold argon plasma and saline at reducing bacterial bio-burden in dog bite wounds., Material and Methods: Dogs with bite-wound injuries were included when surgical debridement was pursued with subsequent treatment using either polyhexanide-biguanide lavage (A), cold argon plasma treatment (B) or saline lavage (C). Culture swabs were taken after debridement as well as after lavageor argon treatment. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test., Results: A total of 40 dogs were enrolled in the study (A: n = 12; B: n = 10; C: n = 18). The majority of injuries were minor and 87.5% of patients had positive bacterial culture results pre-lavage, with 19.8% of isolates classified as multidrug resistant. A reduction in wound bioburden was achieved in 8/12 patients in group A, 5/10 patients in group B and 14/18 patients in group C. Complete decontamination was achieved in 5/12 patients in group A, 2/10 in group B and 9/18 in group C. None of these differences were statistically significant nor associated with the development of complications., Conclusion: No statistically significant differences were detected between the treatment groups; however, the cold argon plasma treatment provided the least effective decontamination., Clinical Relevance: Bite wounds yield a high rate of bacterial contamination, with increasing multidrug-resistance rates. Based on these preliminary results, no superior effect was detected for lavage using polyhexanidebiguanide or cold argon plasma., Competing Interests: Die Autoren bestätigen, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht., (Schattauer GmbH.)

Omadacycline was tested against 125 isolates recovered from infected cat and dog bites in humans. Its activity was similar to that of other compounds in the tetracycline class, and it was active against strains exhibiting tetracycline resistance. Against anaerobic isolates, resistance to tetracyclines was more prominent and omadacycline was the most active of the group. All isolates had omadacycline MICs of <1 μg/ml, with the exception of Eikenella corrodens , which showed reduced susceptibility to the entire tetracycline group., (Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.)

Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a commensal organism commonly found in the oral cavity of cats and dogs. Infections with this organism are rare and can affect both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. The authors present a case of C canimorsus causing indolent prosthetic hip joint infection in a healthy 66-year-old woman following a history of being scratched by her pet dog. The patient had an atypical history of chronic, low-grade infection which is unusual, as this organism is more frequently associated with acute presentations and fulminant sepsis. This patient was treated successfully with a two-stage exchange of her hip prosthesis and broad-spectrum antibiotics. C. canimorsus is a very rare cause of prosthetic joint infection but an important pathogen to consider, particularly in culture-negative joint infections and a history of animal exposure., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Cellulitis and soft tissue infections are a diverse group of diseases that range from uncomplicated cellulitis to necrotizing fasciitis. Management of predisposing conditions is the primary means of prevention. Cellulitis is a clinical diagnosis and thus is made on the basis of history and physical examination. Imaging may be helpful for characterizing purulent soft tissue infections and associated osteomyelitis. Treatment varies according to the type of infection. The foundations of treatment are drainage of purulence and antibiotics, the latter targeted at the infection's most likely cause.

Sepsis caused by a Capnocytophaga canis infection has only been rarely reported. A 67-year-old female with a past medical history of splenectomy was admitted to our hospital with fever and general malaise. She had been bitten by a cat. She showed disseminated intravascular coagulation and multi-organ failure because of severe sepsis. On blood culture, characteristic gram-negative fusiform rods were detected; therefore, a Capnocytophaga species infection was suspected. A nucleotide sequence analysis revealed the species to be C. canis, which was newly identified in 2016. C. canis may have low virulence in humans; however, C. canis with oxidase activity may cause severe zoonotic infection.

Much can be gained from revealing the mechanisms fungal entomopathogens employ. Especially intriguing are fungal parasites that manipulate insect behavior because, presumably, they secrete a wealth of bioactive compounds. To gain more insight into their strategies, we compared the genomes of five ant-infecting Ophiocordyceps species from three species complexes. These species were collected across three continents, from five different ant species in which they induce different levels of manipulation. A considerable number of (small) secreted and pathogenicity-related proteins were only found in these ant-manipulating Ophiocordyceps species, and not in other ascomycetes. However, few of those proteins were conserved among them, suggesting that several different methods of behavior modification have evolved. This is further supported by a relatively fast evolution of previously reported candidate manipulation genes associated with biting behavior. Moreover, secondary metabolite clusters, activated during biting behavior, appeared conserved within a species complex, but not beyond. The independent co-evolution between these manipulating parasites and their respective hosts might thus have led to rather diverse strategies to alter behavior. Our data indicate that specialized, secreted enterotoxins may play a major role in one of these strategies.

Animal bite wounds affect more than 5 million Americans annually, resulting in 300,000 emergency department visits, 10,000 hospitalizations, and an untold number of physician office visits. Various forms of topical therapy are empirically self-employed by many patients prior to seeking medical attention. Pexiganan, a 22-amino-acid synthetic cationic analogue of the peptide magainin II, acts by selectively damaging bacterial cell membranes. We determined the MICs for pexiganan and other antimicrobial agents often used for treatment of bite wounds. Most isolates were from U.S. patients, and ∼10% were from European and Canadian patients. The comparator antimicrobials studied were penicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanate, piperacillin-tazobactam, meropenem, clindamycin, doxycycline, moxifloxacin, ceftriaxone, linezolid, and metronidazole. The MIC 90 s of pexiganan were 32 μg/ml (against Pasteurella multocida subsp. multocida ), 16 μg/ml ( P. multocida subsp. septica , Pasteurella canis , and Pasteurella dagmatis ), 8 μg/ml ( Pasteurella stomatis ), 8 μg/ml ( Eikenella corrodens ), 2 μg/ml ( Neisseria weaveri , Neisseria zoodegmatis , and Moraxella canis-Moraxella lacunata group), 16 μg/ml ( Bergeyella zoohelcum ), 64 μg/ml ( Bacteroides pyogenes ), 4 μg/ml ( Fusobacterium russii ), 32 μg/ml ( Fusobacterium canifelinum ), and 64 μg/ml ( Prevotella heparinolytica ). The concentration of pexiganan in the cream used was 8,000 μg/ml, more than 60 to 100 times the highest MIC obtained. Pexiganan exhibited a broad range of antimicrobial activity, showing potential for treating animal bite infections. A clinical trial seems warranted., (Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.)