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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Could The Dog Bite Cause Klebsiella Infection?

My husband was just released from the hospital after 7 days battling a Klebsiella pneumoniae infection. He is an active, healthy 43 year old with no immune compromising issues. We took him to the ER with sepsis, and he was diagnosed with an abscess in the left lobe of his liver. Klebsiella grew out of both the blood culture and the pus from the liver, which has a drain. He is on 4 weeks of IV antibiotics along with Flagyl 3 times daily. He is doing splendid 2 weeks later. Of course the BIG question is where did this infection come from? 5-7 days prior to developing symptoms of malaise, he was bit by a dog on the leg. The wound was cleaned, and did not develop infection at the site. His doctor said the bug escaped his GI tract. All his blood tests are within normal range with the exception of a slightly elevated ALT. Could the dog have introduced the bacteria to his bloodstream? How does Klebsiella take down a healthy, strong, active guy?
Fri, 26 Dec 2014
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Internal Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
It's conceivable but unlikely that the dog bite introduced the Klebsiella infection. Infection would most likely have occurred at the site as well; also I am not aware that dogs often carry Klebsiella. The bacteria can be found in the GI tract of humans and it is more likely that is where it came from, as suggested by his doctor. When bacteria like Klebsiella get into internal organs like the liver or into the bloodstream, they can take down a previously healthy active person very quickly. Part of it is toxins the bacteria release, and part of it is the person's immune response to the infection and the toxins. Gram negative bacteria like Klebsiella and E coli, once they get into the bloodstream, are especially deadly and often hard to treat as they have developed resistance to a lot of antibiotics. I am glad that he is now doing well. Hope this answers your question.
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Could The Dog Bite Cause Klebsiella Infection?

It s conceivable but unlikely that the dog bite introduced the Klebsiella infection. Infection would most likely have occurred at the site as well; also I am not aware that dogs often carry Klebsiella. The bacteria can be found in the GI tract of humans and it is more likely that is where it came from, as suggested by his doctor. When bacteria like Klebsiella get into internal organs like the liver or into the bloodstream, they can take down a previously healthy active person very quickly. Part of it is toxins the bacteria release, and part of it is the person s immune response to the infection and the toxins. Gram negative bacteria like Klebsiella and E coli, once they get into the bloodstream, are especially deadly and often hard to treat as they have developed resistance to a lot of antibiotics. I am glad that he is now doing well. Hope this answers your question.