Australian woman dies from infection after shepherd bite (5 photos)

Last month Tracy Ridout from Perth, Australia asked to look after a young German Shepherd. During the game the animal lightly bit the 53-year-old woman's finger. She didn't give it a thought meaning, but after a few days I felt excruciating pain.





On August 18, Tracy sought medical attention. Analysis revealed that she had a bacterial infection, Capnocytophaga canimorsus, which affected the kidneys and liver.

The woman's condition quickly deteriorated and she was put into an induced coma. After 11 days, Ridut passed away.



Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a bacterium that lives in the oral cavity of dogs and cats.

The infection is extremely rare in humans, with just 56 cases reported in England and Wales last year.

Capnocytophages are dangerous only for people with weakened immune system, for example for those being treated for oncology or HIV-infected.



Symptoms include redness at the site of the bite, swelling, pain and fever.

Tracy did not notice any symptoms. Her daughter Sophie said: “She was playing with the dog, and it accidentally bit her finger, and not for a toy. Mom didn’t attach any importance to this and simply bandaged the wound.”



A week after the bite, the Australian woman began to feel pain around the wound and tried to treat it with Nurofen and Panadol, but the medications didn't help.

The woman was hospitalized, but doctors almost immediately informed the family that they were powerless.

Sophie said: “Pretty much all her organs were shutting down.”



"Even if it's a small dog bite, as was the case with Mom, just get tested,” Sophie urges.