CAPNOCYTOPHAGA-CANIMORSUS SEPSIS COMPLICATED BY MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTIONIN 2 PATIENTS WITH NORMAL CORONARY-ARTERIES

We describe two patients who had acute myocardial infarctions during e pisodes of Capnocytophaga canimorsus sepsis. C. canimorsus is associat ed with severe infection in patients who are immunocompromised; one of these patients had undergone splenectomy for Hodgkin's disease 11 yea rs earlier, and the other consumed significant amounts of alcohol regu larly. Both patients owned dogs that had licked them or produced minor skin wounds shortly before they became ill. Coronary angiographic fin dings were normal for both patients. The association of acute myocardi al infarction and sepsis with a specific pathogen is unique. This find ing suggests that endothelial damage and coronary thrombosis due to C. canimorsus sepsis is a possible mechanism of acute myocardial necrosi s.