These days the case of Henrik Kriegbaum Plettnera Danish man who has recently died from an infection caused by the cat bite, four years ago. It was all for a good deed, well in 2018 the now deceased decided to pick up an abandoned cat that had just had puppies. When handling them, one of them bit him, hardly causing any injury. However, over time his hand became so inflamed that he had to rush to the hospital. Once there, he underwent several interventions, which ended with the hand amputation. Since then, he has had some relapses and health problems that have ended with his death, last October.
The family had not gone public with the story. However, they have finally decided to make it known to warn other people of the danger that a simple cat bite can pose.
Now, is it really that dangerous? Are there precautions we can take to avoid the same thing happening to this man? The truth is that there are some. And that is something that we must be clear about before demonizing cats; so, logically, It’s not your fault at all.
The cat bite that ended very badly
As explained from abcinitially the man did not care bite and it took several hours to call the hospital. Then, once he did it, they didn’t give it much thought, so they summoned him the next day.
By the time they arrived, the hand was already very bad. They found that he had an infection that was not only destroying the tissues of his hand. He too had passed into the blood. They were prescribed antibiotics and an attempt was made to save the limb, but it was not possible. Since then he has been getting sicker and sicker, until he finally died, four years later, from the infection.
The bacteria causing the infection
According to what they say from Daily Mailthe outlet that initially published the news, the infection was caused by a bacterium called Pasteurella multocida. Is it is part of the normal microbiota of cats’ mouthsbut also of other petsLike the dogs. It is usually transmitted to humans through bites, licks or scratchesafter which the cellulitis infection occurs in a short period, from 3 to 6 hours. It is important to note that this is not the cellulitis by accumulation of fat, but a bacterial infection that occurs in the subcutaneous tissue. After this infection, a erythema nodosum. That is, a skin lesion characterized by the presence of painful nodules.
All this is usually reversed with antibiotics. However, sometimes, if the infection reaches the bloodstream, complications such as pneumonia, meningitis or sepsis can occur. It is something much more common in immunosuppressed people or with comorbidities. That is, they previously have other diseases that could further complicate the situation.
Can it be prevented?
For all this, there are measures that can be taken to prevent complications. On the one hand, as he explained to hypertextual the feline expert veterinarian fatima whitethe main form of prevention is “avoid bites and scratches, not playing with their hands, nor bothering the animals”. He cites, for example, the case of cats that have just had puppies and are much more susceptible. Or also of small kittens, who do not control their teeth so much and can react more abruptly.
But suppose that, even with caution, we cannot avoid a bite or scratch. In that case, Blanco advises “wash immediately with soap and waterthen clean with a antiseptic and Go to the doctor because possibly prescribe an antibiotic”.
Let’s remember that this man was treated 24 hours after the biteor, so the infection was already widespread. In addition, the mother of the deceased has declared to Daily Mail that the cat bit directly into a blood vessel and, having small teeth, the hole was closed later, letting the bacteria flow through the blood. This, likewise, would not have been so serious if the wound had been disinfected quickly and antibiotics had been prescribed as soon as possible.
On the other hand, it should be noted that Pasteurella multocida is not the only bacteria present in the body of cats that can cause human infections. There are also cases with Bartonella henselaewhich causes what “in medical literature is known as Cat-scratch disease”. In those cases, the way to proceed is the same.
It’s not the cats fault
In short, it is true that cats can transmit diseases with bites or scratches. So can dogs. The key is to avoid injuries and, if they do occur, disinfect them properly. Millions of people have cats at home and do not have the sad end of this Danish patient. Even so, his family is right in the statement he has made through Daily Mail. It is best to seek help as soon as possible, even if it is only a small wound caused by a cat. That done, there’s no reason not to share our lives with them.