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| INDEX OF ARTICLES | WAITING ROOM | EXAM ROOM | SURGERY ROOM | X-RAY ROOM | GENERAL TOPICS | IMPORTANT TOPICS | LAB and PHARMACY | PET PHOTOS | PET SUPPLIES | PET PHARMACY |
CAT BITES!!
Some cat bite injuries can induce serious infections.
Cat bite wounds and their consequences are explained below... |
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Cat bites are notoriously prone to becoming infected. See below what happened just four days after one individual was bitten by a 20 year old cat. |
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Animal's mouths are not sterile! Contrary to popular myth, there are a wide variety of organisms in the oral cavities of every dog and cat. |
| Treat every bite wound with appropriate first aid measures | Some bite wounds heal quickly, some induce a localized infection and some can induce an infection that will be transported through the blood and lymph to other areas of the body. | Hospitalization for intravenous antibiotic therapy may be needed. |
Take a look at the photos below to see what can happen after a cat bite injury. Even though immediate cleansing of the bite wound was done and antibiotics were prescribed, the cat bite wound became infected. Surgical intervention was needed and the wound was opened, dead tissue was removed and the wound was flushed. Post operative bandaging was done and topical medication was applied; the wound was allowed to heal without suture closure.
| Click on an image to see a closer view that will open in a new window | |||
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| Lateral view of bite wound four days after the bite | Dorsal view of bite wound four days after the bite | Anesthesia... local and general... was required | The deep wound was explored and opened |
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| Scar tissue is evident | Debriding and flushing | Debriding and flushing | After bandage removal |
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| Healing well at one week. | Another view at one week | Healing well at two weeks | Healing well at three weeks |
Oral cavity organisms in humans, dogs and cats are presented below. This table is for illustrative purposes only and is not complete nor should it be used as a medical tool for practitioners. It simply displays the wide array of the organisms in the oral cavities of dogs and cats. Any human bite wound from any animal should be evaluated by a physician. And, of course, where rabies infection is any possibility at all, a physician should be consulted immediately.
COMPARISON OF ORAL MICROORGANISMS IN HUMANS, DOGS AND CATS
| HUMANS & CATS | HUMANS |
DOGS |
CATS |
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Actinomyces
sp. filamentous strict
anaerobe |
-healthy [Lo Bue et al 1999] -heavy plaque (1o organism in heavy plaque) -root caries; Actinomyces naeslundii genospecies 1 and 2 consistently associated with root caries in humans [Bowden et al 1999] |
NS: 0-0.5% [Harvey and Emily p95] |
14-17% [Harvey and Emily p95] |
Eikenella corrodens = facultative anaerobic gram-ve bacillus -pathogen eg suppurative lesions of head of neck |
-healthy [Heymann and Drezner 1997; Lo Bue et al 1999] -dental plaque [Heymann and Drezner 1997; Lo Bue et al 1999] -adult refractory periodontitis [Lo Bue et al 1999] -pathogen in nonimmunocompromised and immunocompromised hosts eg suppurative lesions of head and neck eg submandibular abscess [Heymann and Drezner 1997]
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NS: 0-2.2% [Harvey and Emily pp95-96] |
0-17% [Harvey and Emily pp95-96] |
HUMANS, DOGS |
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Prevotella
sp. |
-healthy [Lo Bue et al 1999] Prevotella
intermedia -healthy [Lo Bue et al 1999] -adult refractory periodontitis [Lo Bue et al 1999] |
Prevotella spp.among principal pathogens subgingival flora of dogs -Prevotella heparinolytica common isolate @dog bites to humans [Talan 1999] |
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Staphylococcus aureus = aerobe
à angular cheilitis, parotitis,staphylococcal mucositis esp @ elderly, oral
Chron’s disease -methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus @ oropharynx humans |
?? normal human oral flora ?? [Smith et al 2001] |
Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, S. intermedius bacterial flora of oral and nasal fluids of canines [Allaker et al 1992; Bailie et al 1978] *human pathogen; consider as probable bite wound contaminant [Bailie et al 1978] -common isolate @ dog bites [Talan et al 1999] |
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HUMANS, DOGS, CATS |
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Bacteroides
spp. |
-stomatitis types II and II in denture wearers Porphyromonas gingivalis main pathogenic micro-organims @ inflammatory sites in healthy human subjects and adult refractory periodontitis human patients along with Bacteroides forsythus [Lo Bue et al 1999] |
-Bacteroides spp., Porphyromonas sp. are amongst principal pathogens in subgingival flora of dogs -Porphyromonas spp. commonly isolated from dog bites to humans [Talan et al 1999] -Bacteroides tectum common isolate of dog bites to humans [Talan et al 1999] |
black-pigmented bacteroides (Porphyromonas) found in all healthy and diseased cat samples [Harvey and Emily p94] -Porphyromonas spp. commonly isolated from cat bites to humans [Talan et al 1999] -Bacteroides tectum common isolate of cat bites to humans [Talan et al 1999] |
Fusobacterium spp. = filamentous anaerobe |
F. nucleatum-healthy [Lo Bue et al 1999] -major bacteria in dental plaque with associated Streptococcus spp., spirochetes, diphtheroids, gram –ve cocci, others... -F nucleatum found @ adult refractory periodontitis [Lo Bue et al 1999] |
Fusobacterium spp among principal pathogens dogs’ subgingival flora F. nucleatum not significant (<3%) [Harvey and Emily pp95-96] -common human pathogen @
dog bites [Talan et al 1999] |
F. nucleatum 29-33% [Harvey and Emily pp95-96] |
Peptostreptococcus
sp. |
-healthy [Lo Bue et al 1999] |
-minor in dogs (0-7.3%) [Harvey and Emily pp94-96] |
common (0-71%) in feline oral disease [Harvey and Emily pp94-96] |
Capnocytophaga canimorsus = fastidious, slow-growing, gram-ve rod --cat licking an ulcer -> Capnocytophaga canimorsus septicemia in human patient; alcohol abuse important risk factor for devo of septicemia from C canimorsus [Valtonen et al 1995] |
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-normal oral flora of dogs and cats [Valtonen et al 1995] -NS: 0-1.4% [Harvey and Emily pp95-96] |
0-17% [Harvey and Emily pp95-96] |
Pasteurella spp. = aerobes -cat isolates more likely to be human pathogens eg Pasteurella multocida, Pasteurella septica vs other Pasteurella spp; organisms |
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0.5-8.3% [Harvey and Emily p96] -Iij, EF-4 Pasteurella multocida normal flora of oral [Bailie et al 1978; Layton 1999] and nasal fluids of canines [Bailie et al 1978] *human pathogen; consider as probable bite wound contaminant [Bailie et al]; -Pasteurella canis most common isolate of dog bites (to humans) in one study [Talan et al 1999] |
43-100% [Harvey and Emily p96] -less significant as cause of oral disease in cats, than a cause of abscessation, cellulitis in humans, other animals bitten by them [Harvey and Emily p96] -Pasteurella multocida subspecies multocida and P. septica most common isolate from cat bites (to humans) in one study [Talan et al 1999] |
Reimerella anatipestifer |
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-isolated from two cat bites [Talan et al 1999] |
DOGS |
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Bacillus
sp. = aerobe |
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-healthy oral and nasal fluids [Bailie et al 1978] |
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Corynebacterium sp. = aerobe |
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-healthy oral and nasal fluids [Bailie et al 1978] |
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Enterobacteria = aerobe |
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-healthy oral and nasal fluids [Bailie et al 1978] |
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Moraxella
sp. = aerobe |
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-healthy oral and nasal fluids [Bailie et al 1978] -common isolate @ dog bites to humans [Talan et al 1999] |
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Neiserria
sp. =
aerobe |
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-healthy oral and nasal fluids [Bailie et al 1978] -common human pathogen @ dog bites [Talan et al 1999] |
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Streptoccoccus
spp: = aerobe |
-dental plaque (S. sanguis, S. sobrinus, S.
mitis are initial bacteria involved in formation of plaque) -dental caries: Streptococcus sobrinus @ smooth tooth surfaces Streptococcus mutans @ crevices and small fissures [Saini et al 1999] |
- group D streptococci @ healthy oral and nasal fluids [Bailie et al 1978] -common isolates @ dog bites to humans [Talan et al 1999] |
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CATS only |
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Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae |
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-isolated from 2 cat bites [Talan et al 1999] |
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