Canine-to-Human Transmission of Mycoplasma canis in the Central Nervous System

Abstract

Dog bites remain a common occurrence in our society, particularly in toddlers and small children under the age of 2. Injuries to the head and face, more common in younger children, can often lead to significant morbidity. Additionally, there continues to be considerable clinical equipoise for standardized post-dog bite injury management. Here, we present the only reported pediatric case in the literature of Mycoplasma canis-associated central nervous system (CNS) infection in an 11-month-old infant who sustained a dog bite to the calvarium. The prevalence of dog bites during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic had interestingly tripled in number after stay-at-home orders in 1 particular pediatric emergency department in Colorado. This observation paired with advances in microbiological identification like MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer) may lead to the identification of future cases of uniquely canine pathogens that play a role in human infection.

Surgical Management of Animal and Human Maxillofacial Bites: A Comprehensive Review

“…Children, especially younger children, are more susceptible to facial animal attacks 2,4,9,25,54 because of their short stature and constant sudden movements. 9,18,21,30,65 Adults are vulnerable to upper limbs attacks. 35 The vast majority of maxillofacial injuries are related to dog bites followed by cats.…”

“…About one-fifth to one-third of animal bites are infected through claws and teeth. 30,32,56,65 Despite older authors recommend avoiding suturing, contemporary authors suggest that primary wound closure yields good results and a low incidence of infection due to the rich blood supply of the face. 4,9,14,15,18,27,28,35,50,51,53,56,67,68,70,74,75 Main reason why antibiotic prophylaxis is not mandatory for all maxillofacial bite injuries.…”

“…14 Laser therapy is considered very useful in several cases. 14,65,69 In the event of tissue avulsion, replantation must be considered as the first option. 7,15,23,64,66,70,74 Not only aesthetic complaints but also functional problems are very often encountered.…”

Genomic characterization of Mycoplasma edwardii isolated from a dog bite induced cat wound reveals multiple horizontal gene transfer events and loss of the CRISPR/Cas system

“…Therefore, the prevalence of mycoplasmal infections in dog bite wounds is likely to be underestimated. To date, there have only been two reports of isolation of Mycoplasma canis from dog bite wounds in humans [6,7] and one report of the isolation of M. canis and Mycoplasma spumans from a dog bite wound in a cat. Recent advances in culture-free sequencing of clinical material have advanced the aetiological diagnosis of infectious diseases [8][9][10][11] and wound infections [12][13][14][15], and ultimately are likely to lead to improved treatment outcomes.…”

“…Therefore, the prevalence of mycoplasmal infections in dog bite wounds is likely to be underestimated. To date, there have only been two reports of isolation of Mycoplasma canis from dog bite wounds in humans [6, 7] and one report of the isolation of M. canis and Mycoplasma spumans from a dog bite wound in a cat.…”