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Dog bite danger warning after London author dies from sepsis

An alert has been issued about the danger of dog bites after a woman died suddenly from sepsis after rescuing a stranger’s dog that was fighting with one of her pets.

Stacey Alexander-Harriss, 42, was initially said by doctors to have died from Covid, less than 12 hours after being taken by ambulance to King George hospital, in Ilford.

But her husband Nick Harriss discovered three months later that – as he suspected – her death had instead been caused by sepsis.

Mrs Alexander-Harriss was bitten by a small poodle on June 15 last year as she walked her two bull terriers beside the Thames at Canada Water, prior to visiting a friend on her first day out after the lifting of the first lockdown.

Her friend cleaned and bandaged the bite. Mrs Alexander-Harriss did not seek a tetanus injection as she had had one several years earlier that offered her protection.

She started to feel unwell the following day, and worse the day after, displaying symptoms akin to food poisoning. Her husband called the NHS 111 helpline, informed the doctor he spoke with about the dog bite, and an ambulance was dispatched. She was admitted to A&E at King George hospital.

Mr Harriss, a financial adviser, told the Standard: “As the night went on, they said she was very badly ill - I was not allowed to accompany or visit her due to Covid restrictions.

“At that point I thought she might have got one of these superbugs like MRSA. She was taken from A&E to intensive care.

“In the morning I got the call that none of us want to receive, saying that she had sadly passed away. There were 12 hours between her being first seen by the ambulance and her dying.”

East London coroner Nadia Persaud said in a narrative verdict that Mrs Alexander-Harriss, a children’s author and designer from Ilford, “died as a result of an overwhelming bacterial infection caused by a dog bite”.

The coroner has sent a prevention of future deaths report to Public Health England, warning there is a “knowledge gap” in the medical profession about the bacteria, Capncytophagia canimorsus, which is commonly found in the mouths of dogs and cats.

She said raising awareness could prevent similar tragedies – adding that the earlier administration of antibiotics “might have made a difference” to saving Mrs Alexander-Harriss.

Mr Harriss said the hospital had told him his wife’s death, on June 18, “looks like covid”, though he knew she had displayed none of the obvious symptoms, and her illness had appeared very rapidly.

“It was not a severe wound, which is where I think a lot of the problems came from,” he told the Standard.

“If it had been a severe wound or if she had been bitten by a Doberman rather than a little poodle, she probably would have gone to A&E, and they may have taken the wound itself more seriously.”

In September, tests on samples of blood taken at the time of her admission to hospital revealed the presence of the bacteria.

Mr Harriss recalled: “The ambulance crew were not very concerned about the dog bite, but they were concerned about her blood pressure and heartbeat. There was no obvious sign of infection and the wound was clean. They were particularly concerned she was very dehydrated after her sickness.

“It’s a very unusual occurrence. However, it’s concerning that A&E doctors are unaware that a dog bite which isn’t oozing pus or is a wound that needs stitches might still be a problem where the patient is exhibiting the signs of sepsis.

“The big question is bluntly: if she had been pumped full of antibiotics as soon as she got there, would that have made a difference? What is clear is that the hospital didn’t regard the dog bite as a problem. They were convinced at the time that she had died of Covid, and much of her treatment was Covid-related.

“The A&E and ICU doctors admitted they were completely unaware of this type of bacteria when I questioned them at the inquest. Not giving her antibiotics straight away seems to me ridiculous.”

Public Health England said: “We can confirm that the coroner’s report has been received and PHE will respond by July 2.”

Kathryn Halford, chief nurse at Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust, which runs King George hospital, said: “This was a very tragic case and our thoughts are with Mrs Alexander-Harriss’ family.

“This Prevention of Future Deaths report, addressed to Public Health England, will play an important role in raising awareness of the organism Capncytophagia canimorsus, among health professionals across the country.”

Reference: Evening Standard: Ross Lydall

Python and her eggs get full-scale security by officials in eastern India

An incubating python and her eggs received full-scale security from wildlife officials in Odisha, eastern India. Locals in Niala gathered at the site of a 12-foot python's den on May 5. Wildlife officials, Subhendu Mallik and Lalit Mohan Panda, were called and upon arrival they noticed the python was protecting her eggs and ignoring the commotion.

Police eventually dispersed the crowd but Mallik was fearful that the crowd would return and disturb the python. A 24-hour security system was put in place to protect the incubating snake. Barricades were set up around the perimeter to keep the crowds away.

Mallik said: "There could be up to 30 eggs which may hatch in June or July. As the nesting site was disturbed we had to take extraordinary measures to protect the snake and her eggs. “Our biggest accomplishment has been in convincing the local villagers of the conservation value of this effort. They have come forward to bear the cost of the nets and also formed groups to keep vigilant."

Reference: Newsflare: 

Wild boars corner woman in Rome supermarket car park and steal her groceries

Reference: The Telegraph: Verity Bowman  

Dolphins ‘deliberately get high’ on puffer fish nerve toxins by carefully chewing and passing them around

Dolphins are thought of as one of the most intelligent species in the animal kingdom – and experts believe they have put their ingenuity to use in the pursuit of getting “high”.

In extraordinary scenes filmed for a new documentary, young dolphins were seen carefully manipulating a certain kind of puffer fish which, if provoked, releases a nerve toxin.

Though large doses of the toxin can be deadly, in small amounts it is known to produce a narcotic effect, and the dolphins appeared to have worked out how to make the fish release just the right amount.

Carefully chewing on the puffer and passing it between one another, the marine mammals then enter what seems to be a trance-like state.

The behaviour was captured on camera by the makers of Dolphins: Spy in the Pod, a series produced for BBC One by the award-winning wildlife documentary producer John Downer.

Rob Pilley, a zoologist who also worked as a producer on the series, told the Sunday Times: “This was a case of young dolphins purposely experimenting with something we know to be intoxicating.

“After chewing the puffer gently and passing it round, they began acting most peculiarly, hanging around with their noses at the surface as if fascinated by their own reflection.

“It reminded us of that craze a few years ago when people started licking toads to get a buzz, especially the way they hung there in a daze afterwards. It was the most extraordinary thing to see.”

The documentary makers used spy cameras hidden in fake turtles, fish and squid to film 900 hours of footage showing dolphins in their natural habitats.

The scenes showing them “using” puffer fish will feature in the second episode of the series, which starts on Thursday.

It is the latest in a long run of wildlife documentaries made by Downer which use similar spy camera techniques. Previous series include Penguins: Spy in the Huddle, which like the Dolphins programme was narrated by David Tennant, Elephants: Spy in the Herd with David Attenborough and Lions: Spy in the Den.

Downer said: “The spy creatures were designed to infiltrate the dolphins’ hidden lives by looking like the marine creatures a dolphin might encounter in their everyday lives.”

[This article was originally published in 2013]  Reference: Independent: Adam Withnall