Capnocytophaga canimorsus (CC) belongs to the family Flavobacteriaceae which physiologically occurs in the natural flora of the oral mucosa of dogs and cats. In patients with a compromised immune system, CC can induce a systemic infection with a fulminant course of disease. Infections with CC are rare, and the diagnosis is often complicated and prolonged. We describe a patient with a medical history of prior splenectomy who presented with an acute sepsis and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and was initially treated on Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome (WFS). After the patient had died despite forced treatment in the intermediate care unit, the differential diagnosis of CC was confirmed by culture of blood smears. Later on, a retrospective third-party anamnesis revealed that the patient had contact to his neighbour's dog a few days before disease onset. In conclusion, patients with CC infection can mimic WFS and therefore must be included in the differential diagnosis, especially in patients with a corresponding medical history of dog or cat bites, scratches, licks, or simple exposure.
