Capnocytophaga bacteraemia following rituximab treatment.

A case is presented of Capnocytophaga bacteraemia, in a juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) patient receiving steroids, methotrexate and rituximab. This Gram-negative bacillus commonly found in dog saliva has been described to cause illness in immune compromised hosts such as oncology patients, those receiving cytotoxic or biological drugs, alcoholics or postsplenectomy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of Capnocytophaga bacteraemia following rituximab treatment.