Deadly virus: a woman who kissed a dog amputated all limbs

Ohio resident Marie Trainer lost her feet and hands because she kissed her dog. The woman contracted a severe form of sepsis from a pet. They write about it NEWS.

Фото: Depositphotos

Marie Trainer returned home from vacation, and two days later she felt unwell. The first symptoms were back pain and nausea. When the woman had a fever, she went to the hospital. And when she woke up 9 days after anesthesia, she discovered that her legs and hands were amputated.

Within two days, doctors found out that the patient’s severe sepsis was caused not by tropical infections contracted during vacation, but by the bacterium Capnocytophaga canimorsus. A woman became infected with it after kissing her pet, a German shepherd, when returning home. The dog became a carrier of the bacteria after apparently licking an open wound.

On the verge of death

An unconscious woman was placed in the intensive care unit. The patient began gangrene of the arms and legs, and multiple blood clots appeared in the circulatory system. The infection spread to the tip of the nose, ears and face.

During treatment, the patient's family requested additional medical opinion in the hope of saving her from amputation. But the doctors had no doubt that the damage was inevitable. Bacteriological culture of blood samples confirmed the diagnosis - it was the bacterium Capnocytophaga canimorsus.

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The trainer underwent 8 operations, and even after the selection of prostheses, she will need a long rehabilitation. According to doctors, this was one of the most serious cases of infection that they encountered, because the woman almost died.

However, despite everything, Marie Trainer does not intend to part with her dogs, and she has two of them. Even during treatment, she asked the doctors to see them, and the pets were brought to her at the hospital twice. “Meeting my dogs has given me the greatest joy in my life,” Trainer said.

Currently, the woman’s family began to collect donations to pay for additional operations that are required by the patient, as well as for the manufacture of prostheses.

Symptoms of the disease

The bacterium Capnocytophaga canimorsus rarely causes disease in humans. However, in certain cases, it penetrates the circulatory system and causes severe sepsis.

According to the American Center for Disease Control, 74% of dogs are carriers of this bacterium, which colonizes the dog’s oral cavity.

The case of Marie Trainer is not the first time doctors have been forced to amputate limbs of people infected by dogs.

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In 2018, Greg Manteuffel from Wisconsin lost his arms and legs when he developed sepsis after being licked by a dog.

Greg’s condition worsened every hour, and a blood test showed that he had contracted Capnocytophaga canimorsus from canine saliva. It has not been established how exactly the microbe penetrated the internal environment of the body, but usually this occurs when a licking open wound or kissing a dog.

Most often, people with reduced immunity become infected. A blister, swelling and redness form at the site of the microbe penetration, a person begins fever, diarrhea, vomiting, as well as pain in the head, muscles and joints.

Symptoms appear 3-5 days after infection, sometimes the incubation period lasts up to 2 weeks. In severe cases, death occurs 3 days after the onset of symptoms.

Infection occurs very rarely - in less than 1% of cases of contact with dog saliva.

Severe infection causes a drop in blood pressure and the development of foci of gangrene on the extremities. Doctors have no choice but to amputate their arms and legs to save the patient's life.

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How to reduce the risk of infection

The American Center for Disease Control has compiled a list of recommendations to reduce the risk of infection from dogs:

It is necessary to wash your hands thoroughly after contact with the dog, especially before cooking, so that bacteria do not get into the dishes.

Do not kiss dogs on the nose or mouth.

Dogs should not be allowed to lick a person’s mouth area and face or open wounds.

If the dog suffers from diarrhea, it is necessary to consult a veterinarian and do bacteriological culture of feces.

In contact with the dog, personal hygiene rules must be carefully observed.

The Center for Disease Control emphasizes that the dog remains a friend of the person, and communication with it helps to relieve stress and cheer up. But disease prevention should be first of all: if the symptoms that indicate a disease began to appear, then you must immediately consult a doctor.

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