Man contracts never-before-seen infection after cat bite – Metro World News

A curious case emerged from a survey recently published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. The case involved a 48-year-old British man who was bitten by a stray cat and suffered “painful” swelling of his hand and a “widespread” infection caused by a so far unknown bacterium.

According to research, The man was taken to the emergency room in 2020 with swollen hands, multiple stab wounds and abrasionsAbout eight hours after being bitten by a stray cat.

They discovered a new species of spherical bacteria

researchers, including from Cambridge University Hospital (UK) Discovery of a new species of Coccidioides bacteria that caused “extensive soft tissue infections” in a man bitten by a cat.

In the past, various studies have revealed the possible role of cats as carriers of yet-to-be-discovered pathogens, as well as zoonotic infections that may be transmitted from animals to humans, as bites result in their tusks and sharp, deep wounds.

As for the man, the publication explained that he was treated for a possible infection and given a booster dose of the tetanus shot as well as various oral antibiotics before being released. However, 24 hours later, he returned to the emergency room with infections in his left pinky finger and right middle finger.

Doctors surgically removed the damaged tissue around the wound and gave him three antibiotics intravenously, a treatment that ultimately seemed to work and allowed him to recover.

When researchers analyzed microbes from a swab from an infected middle finger of his right hand, they found an unrecognized microbe similar to Streptococcus, a strain of strep throat, conjunctivitis and meningitis. bacteria.

However, the bacterium’s genome did not match any previously documented strain, suggesting it is a new microbe that had never been documented before.