Lethal septic shock after dental scaling in a healthy dog due to Ochrobactrum anthropi-contaminated propofol

A 10-year-old, 6-kg male Yorkshire terrier dog was scheduled for routine dental cleaning. No significant problem was observed either during anaesthesia, which was induced with propofol, or during recovery. However, 2 hours after discharge, the dog’s owner returned to the clinic, complaining that the animal was lethargic and had had bloody diarrhoea. On physical examination the dog was depressed, dyspnoeic, tachycardic and hypoglycaemic. Despite supportive treatment, the dog deteriorated and died within a few hours. A presumed diagnosis of sepsis was confirmed by laboratory testing. Bacteriological and molecular examinations of both premortem blood samples and the anaesthetic, highlighted the presence of Ochrobactrum anthropi, an opportunistic pathogen usually associated with immunocompromised hosts with indwelling medical devices. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first case of sepsis in a healthy dog due to contamination of an anaesthetic solution by O. anthropi, suggesting a potential role of this microorganism as an emerging pathogen.