Capnocytophaga canimorsus bacteremia presenting with acute cholecystitis after a dog bite.

Capnocytophaga canimorsus is part of normal gingival flora of dogs and cats. The organism can cause septicemia, meningitis, and endocarditis in humans after contact with dogs or cats. In spite of the frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms in C. canimorsus infection patients, specific gastrointestinal disease or clinical images have not been reported. We report a case of C. canimorsus bacteremia presenting with acute cholecystitis in elderly woman. She suffered from general fatigue and right upper abdominal pain. She had leukocytosis and abnormal liver function tests. She showed abnormal findings of the gallbladder by abdominal computed tomography and ultrasonography. She was diagnosed with acute cholecystitis without gallstones and was administered with antibiotics. C. canimorsus was isolated from blood cultures. A history of an insignificant wound secondary to a dog bite was elicited. She recovered completely with antibiotic treatment. This case revealed that C. canimorsus bacteremia can be presented with acute cholecystitis, suggesting that C. canimorsus could cause cholecystitis. And this cholecystitis can be treated with antibiotics without operation. Physicians seeing patients with acute cholecysitis should ask questions regarding animal contact.