Bergeyella zoohelcum Bacteremia from Therapy Dog Kisses

Abstract

Bergeyella (B.) zoohelcum is a non-motile, aerobic, gram-negative rod, with only a few cases in the literature. Most of the human infections are related to dog or cat bites; however, there are also reports related to the ingestion of food prepared with goat's blood. We present a case of Bergeyella zoohelcum bacteremia in a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) following close contact with their service dog. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of B. zoohelcum bacteremia in an AIDS patient.