In Germany, a 63-year-old man died after contracting a rare infection when he was licked by his dog. The man was in good health until he was infected by capnocyophaga canimorsus. This bacterium is commonly found in the mouths of dogs and cats according to reports. In rare cases, the bacteria can be transmitted to humans via animal bites and scratches.
Doctors from the Red Cross Hospital in Bremen, Germany produced a paper in the European Journal of Case Reports in Internal Medicine stating, “He had been touched and licked, but not bitten or injured, by his dog, his only pet, in previous weeks.”
The man complained of flu-like symptoms and later developed severe sepsis and purpura fulminans. Purpura fulminans is an acute disorder that causes bruising, blood spots, and discoloration and necrosis (dying) of the skin. The man received treatment in an intensive care unit, but his health rapidly declined. He died from multiple organ failures according to doctors.
This isn’t the first time a pet owner has been affected by the bacterium. In May, a woman in Ohio had her hands and