A coroner has warned pet owners about the deadly dangers of animal saliva (licking) after the death of a 49-year-old man who was infected by his dog's saliva.
Craig Jones, from Dublin, was found purple and cold by his wife shortly after his beagle dog licked an open wound on his leg in December 2022.
He was rushed to hospital, where doctors treated him for septicaemia, a dangerous immune system reaction to an infection.
However, he did not respond to treatment and, after suffering six cardiac arrests, died the next day from organ failure caused by septicemia.
Further tests revealed the infection that caused the fatal reaction, which is commonly present in the mouths of animals. Mr Jones suffered from psoriasis, a chronic skin condition where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy skin cells, causing open sores and pimples.
It is thought the deadly pathogen entered his bloodstream after his 'loving' dog's tongue came into contact with an open psoriasis sore.
Consultant microbiologist at Connolly Hospital, Dr Eoghan O'Neill, told the court the infection was caused by a microbe, which is extremely rare, affecting around 1 in a million people. But when it does occur, it can be extremely dangerous, he added.
"It's a very progressive infection that has a 33 percent mortality rate once it enters the bloodstream," he said, GazetaExpress reports.
Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a bacteria that is known to be carried by animals and is deadly to humans. Although it is usually transmitted by biting animals, it can also be spread by kissing on an open wound.
The court also heard that Mr Jones was particularly susceptible to infections because of his psoriasis medication, which works by suppressing the immune system. He also had his spleen, an organ that helps remove pathogens from the blood, removed when he was 24.
Mr Jones' family told the court that, despite these health problems, he was "in excellent shape" and ran 10km every day.
Coroner Cróna Gallagher concluded that Mr Jones died of septicaemia caused by an infection possibly transmitted by his family pet. She urged people to “respect good hygiene” when around animals, especially if they have wounds or broken skin.
In 2016, British doctors reported the case of a 70-year-old woman who was infected with Capnocytophaga canimorsus from her Italian dog and ended up with multiple organ failure. Like Mr. Jones, she developed dangerous septicemia but survived after treatment with antibiotics was successful.
Her case is one of only a dozen reported in Britain. A 2014 study from Japan found that Capnocytophaga canimorsus was present in 69 percent of dogs and 54 percent of cats tested.
Almost all healthy people infected with this bacteria tend to recover completely with antibiotics, but it is very dangerous for those with weakened immune systems. Symptoms, which are usually flu-like, often appear within one to eight days, peaking on the second day. /Express newspaper/
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