Suffering from a dog bite is a big potential issue that can affect a dog bite victim’s health in many ways.
One of those potential ways is through the avenue of infection, which can easily occur when a dog’s teeth inject bacteria into the victim’s skin or blood. Capnocytophaga is just one of the many common bacteria types that can cause health issues.
What is capnocytophaga?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention talks about capnocytophaga infections after dog bites. This is a type of bacteria commonly found in dog’s mouths that can end up injected into a victim’s skin via a bite.
Capnocytophaga is a bacteria that can cause many potential physical problems for the victim if the bite is not treated and cleaned properly shortly after the bite incident. Though it is possible for infections to be effectively battled by the body, they often rage out of control unchecked.
How the infection progresses
Victims with an infection by capnocytophaga will often feel the area around the bite become hot, painful, swollen and tender in the hours and days after the initial bite incident.
In the days following, they may also develop symptoms similar to the flu or virus. This can include nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, body aches, gastrointestinal distress and more.
If the victim still does not seek treatment, it is possible for symptoms to worsen further. In particularly severe cases, it might even escalate to a blood infection or sepsis, which could potentially prove fatal. This is why it is crucial for victims to get medical care right after a bite.