[Severe sepsis after dog bite caused by Capnocytophaga canimorsus]. / Ciezka sepsa wywolana przez Capnocytophaga canimorsus po pogryzieniu przez psa.

We describe a case of a life-threatening septicemia resulting from a previous dog bite wound. The isolated bacterium was Capnocytophaga canimorsus, a slow-growing Gram-negative bacillus commonly found in dog saliva. Known risk factors for invasive C. canimorsus infections are alcohol abuse, cigarette smoking, splenectomy or other forms of immunosuppression. Any clinician seeing patients with a history of a dog bite should consider this pathogen as a causative agent and take detailed history regarding exposure to animals.