Rapid Diagnosis of Capnocytophaga Infection Made by Peripheral Blood Smear

Dog bites causing local infection are common but seldom lead to life-threatening complications. We present a case of a 52-year-old woman who presented with septic shock and multiorgan failure after sustaining a dog bite. At presentation, she was in multiorgan failure with a necrotic bite wound on he...

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Main Authors: Helen Tran, John Park, Paul C. Adamson, Nam K. Ku, Kathryn H. Melamed
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American College of Physicians 2023-11-01
Series:Annals of Internal Medicine: Clinical Cases
Online Access:https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/aimcc.2023.0057
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author Helen Tran
John Park
Paul C. Adamson
Nam K. Ku
Kathryn H. Melamed
author_facet Helen Tran
John Park
Paul C. Adamson
Nam K. Ku
Kathryn H. Melamed
author_sort Helen Tran
collection DOAJ
description Dog bites causing local infection are common but seldom lead to life-threatening complications. We present a case of a 52-year-old woman who presented with septic shock and multiorgan failure after sustaining a dog bite. At presentation, she was in multiorgan failure with a necrotic bite wound on her finger and a petechial rash on her face, arms, and legs. Abdominal imaging revealed asplenia. Her peripheral smear showed rod-like inclusions within neutrophils, consistent with intracellular bacilli. A diagnosis of Capnocytophaga infection was made. She was started on broad-spectrum antibiotics, including piperacillin–tazobactam, and made a full recovery.
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series Annals of Internal Medicine: Clinical Cases
spelling doaj-art-8e4809bbbcf844cbb3e08bb5164fd1fc2025-08-20T02:13:01ZengAmerican College of PhysiciansAnnals of Internal Medicine: Clinical Cases2767-76642023-11-0121110.7326/aimcc.2023.0057Rapid Diagnosis of Capnocytophaga Infection Made by Peripheral Blood SmearHelen Tran0John Park1Paul C. Adamson2Nam K. Ku3Kathryn H. Melamed41Department of Medicine, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, California2Department of Medicine, Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles, California3Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, California4Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, California5Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CaliforniaDog bites causing local infection are common but seldom lead to life-threatening complications. We present a case of a 52-year-old woman who presented with septic shock and multiorgan failure after sustaining a dog bite. At presentation, she was in multiorgan failure with a necrotic bite wound on her finger and a petechial rash on her face, arms, and legs. Abdominal imaging revealed asplenia. Her peripheral smear showed rod-like inclusions within neutrophils, consistent with intracellular bacilli. A diagnosis of Capnocytophaga infection was made. She was started on broad-spectrum antibiotics, including piperacillin–tazobactam, and made a full recovery.https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/aimcc.2023.0057
spellingShingle Helen Tran
John Park
Paul C. Adamson
Nam K. Ku
Kathryn H. Melamed
Rapid Diagnosis of Capnocytophaga Infection Made by Peripheral Blood Smear
Annals of Internal Medicine: Clinical Cases
title Rapid Diagnosis of Capnocytophaga Infection Made by Peripheral Blood Smear
title_full Rapid Diagnosis of Capnocytophaga Infection Made by Peripheral Blood Smear
title_fullStr Rapid Diagnosis of Capnocytophaga Infection Made by Peripheral Blood Smear
title_full_unstemmed Rapid Diagnosis of Capnocytophaga Infection Made by Peripheral Blood Smear
title_short Rapid Diagnosis of Capnocytophaga Infection Made by Peripheral Blood Smear
title_sort rapid diagnosis of capnocytophaga infection made by peripheral blood smear
url https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/aimcc.2023.0057
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