Capnocytophaga canimorsus – an underestimated danger after dog or cat bite – review of literature

Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a gram-negative, capnophilic rod constituting normal bacterial flora of the oral cavity of dogs and cats. It is also considered to be an etiological factor of infections in human that may lead to multiple complications, i.a. sepsis, endocarditis and meningitis. C. canimorsus poses a serious threat, especially to patients with asplenia, cirrhosis or alcohol abuse. In most cases, infection occurs after a dog bite. Isolation and identification of the bacteria from the biological material is difficult and often delayed because of slow growth of the bacteria on microbiological media. Gold standard for bacteriological identification of C. canimorsus is polymerase chain reaction method. Amoxicillin with clavulanic acid is considered the drug of choice used in prophylaxis of C. canimorsus infections. Based on the data available from the literature, the authors present the epidemiology, risk factors, clinical picture, diagnostic methods and treatment of the C. canimorsus infection.