A rare case of a dog bite leading to bilateral lower limb amputations

Abstract

Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a rare cause of bacteraemia, occurring usually after dog bites, and can have devastating consequences for patients. This report describes the case of a 65-year-old woman who presented acutely unwell 6 days after being bitten on the hand by a dog. She suffered consequences of overwhelming sepsis, disseminated intravascular coagulation and bilateral acute limb ischaemia requiring bilateral major lower limb amputations. C. canimorsus-associated sepsis is extremely rare, but early (prophylactic) antibiotic treatment after a dog or cat bite could prevent serious complications associated with this bacterium.