Fatal Lower Respiratory Tract Infection Following a Dog Bite in a Cirrhotic Patient: A Case Report of Zoonotic Sepsis

We report the case of a 66-year-old woman with a history of alcohol abuse and cirrhosis, living in poor housing conditions. She was found dead in her residence and was reported to have sustained a dog bite to the left upper limb approximately 20 days before death. According to police reports, she neither sought medical attention nor received antibiotic therapy following the incident. The wound was neglected, and external examination at autopsy revealed signs of cellulitis of the affected limb. A medico-legal postmortem examination was performed to determine the cause of death. The autopsy revealed a lower respiratory tract infection, determined to be secondary to the soft tissue infection originating from the untreated dog bite. Given the underlying immunosuppression associated with advanced cirrhosis, the disease progressed systemically, ultimately leading to sepsis and death. The findings support a fatal outcome due to complications of an untreated soft tissue infection in an immunocompromised host. A broad spectrum of zoonotic pathogens has been implicated in both localized and severe systemic complications following animal bites, particularly among immunocompromised individuals.