A 63-year-old man died after his dog licked him. Reports have stated that the infection spread rapidly through the man’s body. However, it is important to note that it’s rare to contact capnocytophaga canimorsus, but it can happen.
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At first, the man developed a fever and had trouble breathing. After three days of similar symptoms, doctors found a cacophony of life-threatening problems.
The infection began to infect his brain and organs. And eventually, everything stopped working and after 16 days, he passed away. There are also records of someone else contracting this disease in 2018.
A 60-year-old man from Glasgow had the same infection after getting bitten by a dog. Thankfully, after three days of suffering from intense diarrhoea and vomiting, and nine days of receiving medical care, he survived the infection.
It’s scary to think that dog’s carry this life-threatening disease! Reports have revealed that it is rare,and is most likely to kill people who don’t have the strongest immune system, those who suffer from alcoholism, have no spleen or have HIV or cancer. This is known as an 'opportunistic infection,' meaning an infection that occurs under the right conditions, with those who have a weaker immune system. But it can kill healthy people, too.
Some capnocytophaga can also be present in human mouths, and can cause illness in those who have it. Again, this occurs more often in those who have weaker immune systems than with those who are healthy.
Want to know more facts about the scary infection caused by the man's loyal, four-legged friend? Tune into our video for more information.
