Beware of the dog: meningitis in a splenectomised woman.

Purulent meningitis was diagnosed in a 75-yr-old splenectomised woman nine days after a dog bite. The original wound was apparently uninflamed. The causative microorganism proved to be a dysgonic fermenter 2 (DF-2) bacterium (renamed Capnocythophaga canimorsus). This is a recently recognised Gram-negative bacterium, belonging to the normal canine mouth flora, to which asplenic individuals seem to be particularly susceptible.

Columnaris infection among cultured Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus.

Flexibacter columnaris was isolated from 13 cultured Oreochromis niloticus showing respiratory disorders. The isolates developed typical swarming rhizoid colonies on Cytophaga agar medium. Antibiotic sensitivity test revealed the susceptibility of F. columnaris isolated to oxytetracycline, chloramphenicol and erythromycin. A marked difference in the pathogenicity of seven tested isolates was observed: two were highly virulent, one was moderately virulent and four were avirulent. No experimental infection could be induced with the highly virulent isolates except after injuring one of the natural barriers of the fish body. The severity of the disease and the increased median death time shortened by keeping infected fishes with injured gills in water containing ammonia. In naturally infected O. niloticus, the disease became chronic as indicated by the presence of excessive proliferative and necrotic changes. On the other hand, severe dilatation of branchial blood vessel, oedema and round cell infiltration proved that, the disease among experimentally infected tilapias was acute.

[Capnocytophaga sputigena in sinusitis]. / Capnocytophaga sputigena in sinusitis.

The genus Capnocytophaga was reported in the literature for the first time in 1979. Capnocytophaga are fusiform gram-negative, slowly growing bacteria that require a high pCO2. They belong to the normal buccal flora and they are reported as pathogens in infections of the periodontal region with progressive periodontitis and in septicaemia in patients with immunodeficiencies and buccal ulcerations. The present paper is the first to report Capnocytophaga sputigena as a pathogen in sinusitis. The patient presented a chronic maxillary sinusitis as a complication of a complicated tooth-extraction. The proof for pathogenicity was demonstrated by the presence of Capnocytophaga in the polymorphonucleocytes of the sinusal secretions and by the fact that the bacteria were not easily eradicated despite multiple sinusal irrigations.