He came to the ER with symptoms of being bitten. Doctors made a shocking discovery
A 48-year-old British man was bitten by a stray cat. His case surprised all the doctors and was reported in a medical journal.
The man went to the hospital’s emergency department. A few hours earlier he had been bitten by a wild cat. He had multiple abrasions and puncture wounds on his hands and arms, with no signs of cellulitis. All have been cleaned and stocked. The patient also received antibiotics and a tetanus shot and was discharged home. Twenty-four hours later, he was admitted to the ER again due to developing infection of the flexor sheaths of the left little and right middle fingers and cellulitis of both forearms. He was given additional antibiotics intravenously. Wound cleansing was also performed. Surgeons cut open the skin and removed the damaged tissue. The treatment was successful and the Briton made a full recovery.
Unknown bacterium detected in tissue samples
However, this did not end the work of doctors. The medics tried to determine what caused such a strong reaction of the man’s body. They gave away fragments of excised tissues and swabs for microbiological analysis. A previously unknown bacteria was found in them. resembling strep. It causes many serious and dangerous diseases, such as meningitis or bacterial pneumonia. More detailed research has shown that the germ probably belongs to a family of Gram-positive bacteria called Globicatella. However, the pathogen differs from all strains registered so far. Its existence has not been documented or described so far.
Experts draw attention to one very important issue – the discovered bacterium is resistant to many antibiotics, which makes it difficult to eliminate it from the body. Scientists also warn against wild cats, which are a “reservoir” of many unknown pathogens that threaten human health and sometimes also life. Every year, more than 60,000 people are treated in hospital emergency departments in the United States who are scratched or bitten by pets. Very often, patients require antibiotic therapy and even surgery. If you are attacked by a stray animal, wash the wound and do not delay the visit to the doctor.
Source: cdc.gov
