Man forced to have limbs amputated after lick from dog causes severe infection
A Wisconsin man has lost his hands and legs after he contracted a life-threatening infection.
Greg Manteufel's wife, Dawn Manteufel, said that her husband was healthy one month ago, before what they initially believed to be the flu put him in the emergency room.
"It hit him with a vengeance. Just bruising all over him. Looked like somebody beat him up with a baseball bat," Dawn Manteufel told local news outlets.
In June, blood tests revealed an infection caused by the bacteria Capnocytophaga canimorsus.
"It took a week and they were taking his legs," said Dawn Manteufel.
Experts say the infection likely entered the man's system when he was licked by a dog, possibly his own. However, it is difficult to tell because family members told The that Greg had been around eight dogs about the time he got sick.
“He loves dogs. He would touch any dog; he doesn’t care,” Dawn Manteufel said.
"This type of bacteria comes from the saliva of dogs. This infection in his blood triggered a very severe response on his body," said Dr. Silvia Munoz-Price, infectious disease specialist with Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin.
The infection caused Greg Manteufel's blood pressure to drop and the circulation in his limbs to plummet.
"Sometimes it decreases so much that the arms and legs just die," said Munoz-Price.
Doctors were forced to amputate his limbs, leaving his family stunned.
"We can't wrap our heads around it that all of the sudden, he's 48 years old and been around dogs all of his life... and this happens," said Dawn Manteufel.
Doctors say the situation is extremely uncommon.
"More than 99 percent of the people that have dogs will never have this issue. It's just chance," Munoz-Price said.
Dawn Manteufel said despite what has been lost, her husband is grateful to be alive.
"That's all he kept saying to the doctors -- 'take what you need but keep me alive.' And they did it. Surprisingly enough, they did do it," said Dawn Manteufel.
A page has been created to support the Manteufel family during Greg Manteufel's recovery.
"During this process, while his family and friends are in panic and chaos, Greg has held his head high and is taking all the news like a beast. He is so thankful to be alive today and is taking one day at a time," the page reads.
A published by the peer-reviewed medical journal BMJ called the sepsis -causing bacteria the "lick of death."