Alcaligenes faecalis Cellulitis After a Dog Bite: Case Report and Literature Review

Alcaligenes faecalis is a gram-negative organism that is commonly found in the environment and may also be a part of normal fecal flora in humans. Although various infections with this bacteria have been described in the pediatric population, it has not been previously identified in infections as the pathogen after a dog bite. A case of a 19-month-old boy is presented with a cellulitis secondary to a dog bite, which failed oral antibiotic therapy, and progressed to worsening fever and swelling. The patient ultimately required hospitalization, intravenous antibiotics, and incision and drainage. The wound culture grew A. faecalis, whose identity was confirmed through recombinant DNA sequence analysis. Although it has been identified in cat bite wounds, A. faecalis has not been cited in the literature before in an infection after a dog bite.