The cat of an immuno -compromised woman provoked much more problems than usual (for a cat). In a recent case report, doctors details how the Felino probably spread rarely-bacterial infection, which landed its owner in the hospital.
Doctors in Slovenia wrote the report, issued In the June number of emerging infectious diseases. The 56-year-old woman, Rena transplant recipient, developed a severe, rare battle of Mycoplasma arginini Infection, which was later tracked to her cat. Fortunately, the woman’s disease was identified on time for proper treatment, and she finally recovered.
According to the report, the woman first sought medical care after three weeks of swelling, redness and pain in her left forearm. Although she was prescribed oral antibiotic, her condition continued to get worse, and five days later, she was accepted into the hospital. At that time the swelling and redness extended to her left wrist, which she could barely move. Tests confirmed that the infection spread through the main wrist joint, tendons and skin surrounding her hand.
Doctors quickly suspected that the woman had some unusual germ in her arm, and testing confirmed the presence of M. Arginini bacteria. Mycoplasmic bacteria are generally quite strange, as they are incredibly tiny and lack cell wall (some species can also invade and hide in our cells to breed, as well as viruses). This lack of cell wall makes them invulnerable to many conventional antibiotics, probably explaining why the first treatment of the woman failed. The woman also reported that she had recently been bitten by her cat on her left arm.
With the mystery solved, she was changed to more effective antibiotics. And although she briefly developed other complications, she and her arm later improved to be downloaded from the hospital. Later subsequent visits confirmed that her infection was empty.
M. Arginini Bacteria are often found in the respiratory and genital paths of many animals, included pets. The reporting authors collected samples of the woman’s three cats and dog. They found some kind of mycoplasmic bacterium in one of the cats but could not confirm if it was M. Arginini. However, considering the recent cat bite and lack of other splashing explanations, the doctors concluded that her cat is the probable source of infection.
Although there are some frequent mycoplasmic infections in humans, such as the Sexually delivered M. genital,, M. Arginini It’s not one of them. The doctors could only find a handful of other cases documented in the medical literature. And as with this case, most involve people with weakened immune systems. People who receive donated organs need constant immune suppressing drugs to prevent rejection, and the woman has received two kidney transplants, the latest in 2022. While the average man has nothing to fear M. ArgininiDoctors dealing with immuno -compromised patients must ascertain its “potential as pathogen”, the report authors say, especially if their patients are regularly exposed to animals.
Cat bites in general There is nothing to dismiss, because our fierce roommates can carry all the germs capable of getting sick even the healthiest people. So you always have to quickly wash a cat bite or scratch with running water and soap for at least five minutes. You also have to pay attention later for signs of infection, such as redness and swelling, and see a doctor immediately if they appear (if you are in poorer health or have been bitten by an unknown animal, you must seek medical care independently, only in case).
