Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fulminant Septic Shock within a Young Infant: No Bite, Scratch, or Lick!
- Journal:
- Vector borne and zoonotic diseases (Larchmont, N.Y.)
- Year:
- 2021
- Authors:
- Jha, Prashant & Kalyoussef, Sabah
- Affiliation:
- Department of Pediatrics · United States
Plain-English summary
This case involves a 7-week-old baby who developed a serious condition called septic shock, which is a life-threatening reaction to infection. The baby had no bites, scratches, or any contact with pets, which is unusual since such infections often come from animals. To stabilize the baby, doctors provided medication to support blood pressure and used a ventilator to help with breathing for several days. The case highlights the importance of being cautious with young infants around pets, as there can be risks of severe infections even without direct contact. The treatment was necessary to help the baby recover and return to normal health.
Abstract
This is a case ofseptic shock encountered in a 7-week-old infant without any bites, scratch marks, or history of licks by pet animals (dog and cats in household). The infant required 3 days of vasopressor support and 4 days of mechanical ventilation to achieve normal hemodynamics. This is an unidentified route of transmission and our literature search for this topic discovered reported cases of life-threatening presentation withinfections in the absence of a bite or any form of invasive contact with animals. We believe that this is an important public safety message to restrict animal contact of young infants to prevent severe infection.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32580667/