Wisconsin Woman Dies From Rare Infection After Being Nipped By Her Puppy


A week after the Inquisitr reported on a man requiring multiple limb amputations after his dog licked him, news has filtered in about a woman who has died after being nipped by her puppy.

According to NBC News Miami, a Milwaukee woman, Sharon Larson, received a bite from her new puppy which then led to her death. Larson had only gotten her puppy, called Bo, in June.

The small bite led to an infection which quickly developed into “severe flu-like symptoms,” according to the report from NBC. After days of these symptoms, the 58-year-old woman was rushed to a hospital. Despite desperate attempts, Larson died two days later as a result of the infection.

Her husband, Dan Larson, told NBC‘s affiliate WTMJ that the chances of his wife contracting and then dying from such an infection were extremely remote.

“I was told she could get struck by lightning four times and live, win the lottery twice,” he said. “That’s how rare this is supposed to be.”

So, what had Sharon Larson contracted?

The bacteria involved is called Capnocytophaga and is commonly found within the mouths of cats and dogs. This bacteria is also the same one present in the earlier case reported by the Inquisitr. In that instance, though, the man involved, Greg Manteufel, survived. However, he did require the amputation of parts of his arms and legs in order to save his life. Both people experienced flu-like symptoms leading up to the bacteria being identified.

Of interest to note is the fact that both of these cases originate in Wisconsin. However, there does not yet appear to be any link that ties the two cases together and people living in Wisconsin should not be alarmed or concerned that they could also contract Capnocytophaga from their pets.

According to NBC Miami, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifies “adults 40 years old and older” as more likely to contract the rare infection. Other potential risk factors include “alcoholism and weak immune system related to cancer, HIV, and diabetes.” They identify people without a spleen as at a higher risk of contracting the bacteria as well.

Dr. Silvia Munoz-Price, who is an infectious disease specialist with Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin, revealed that some cases of Capnocytophaga infection are not reported on account of the rarity of the bacterial infection in humans.

“We are exposed to many, many, many organisms every day and most of us – the majority, 99.99 percent of people – never get the infection,” she said.

However, for Sharon Larson’s husband, this is little consolation as he now has to adjust to life without his wife.

“I feel like I got robbed,” Dan Larson revealed. “Lost my right arm. My best friend,”

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