In the United States, a 50-year-old woman had her legs and hands amputated after being infected by the saliva of one of her dogs.
When a hug with your dog turns into a nightmare. In the United States, a woman in her 50s woke up from a coma to find that her legs and hands had been amputated, reported The Independent early August. The 50-year-old suffered from blood poisoning caused by the saliva of one of her dogs. This extremely rare disease only occurs in one in a million cases.
In May, Marie Trainer, 54, began to suffer from flu-like symptoms. When her body temperature suddenly rises, she decides to go to Aultman Hospital (Ohio). The doctors diagnosed him with sepsis (a syndrome of general and serious infection of the organism by pathogenic agents) as well as renal and hepatic insufficiency. The patient also suffers from intense pain in her legs and hands.
Her situation worsens so quickly that she is placed in an artificial coma to stop the progression of her illness. Under respiratory assistance, she developed gangrene and necrosis on her limbs within a few hours. “New symptoms with worsening arrived very quickly”, testifies his daughter-in-law, nurse at the hospital Aultman, with the television channel Fox 8.
Capnocytophaga canimorsus
Thanks to blood tests, the doctors finally understand that the unfortunate suffers from Capnocytophaga canimorsus, a bacteria found in dogs that can cause blood poisoning when saliva comes into contact with a wound or cut. To save his life, the doctors have no choice but to amputate him. When I woke up, “it was really hard to find out that they had taken my legs and my hands away,” the dog lover told Fox 59.
After the accident, an online fundraiser allowed him to collect more than 18,000 dollars which will, it is hoped, help him to rehabilitate more easily. In the meantime, Marie Trainer can count on the support of her husband. “He feeds me, dresses me, he is there for me every day. There is a long way to go,” she testifies.
If this dramatic story is not isolated, it is fortunately very rare. Indeed, such a reaction would only occur in one out of a million cases. Only three strains of the bacteria Capnocytophaga canimorsus are dangerous for humans and they represent only 7.6% of the nine strains.
People with a normal immune system will respond well to antibiotics
“Among the predisposing factors, we first find people with a failing immune system, due to a disease, treatment or removal of the spleen, as well as diabetics and alcoholics (…) But we now knows that immunocompetent patients can also be contaminated, even if it is rarer”, explains Anne Gougeon, professor of microbiology at the University of Rennes-1 and hospital practitioner at the Rennes University Hospital, to Point.
In details, C. canimorsus is a bacillus that grows mainly in the absence of oxygen. It is found in particular in the saliva of dogs and cats which, even if they do not develop any disease, can transmit it to humans by licking a wound or a bite. While a person with a normal immune system will respond well to antibiotics, the most vulnerable see the disease progress at an alarming rate.
The infection can lead to blood clotting disorders that lead to hemorrhaging and generalized sepsis. Cellular necrosis and acute renal failure can then occur. It is then sometimes necessary to practice an amputation of the limbs in the hope of limiting the spread of the infection to the vital organs. But even that is not always enough. Thus, in France, three patients died from C. canimorsus between February 2017 and April 2018, depending on The Journal of Internal Medicine.
Also, if you have a pet and you begin to suffer from symptoms resembling a septic infection such as fever, chills, hot skin, chest pain, rapid heart rate, rash or further drop in blood pressure, consult your doctor immediately.
.