Bacterium
Capnocytophaga species
Capnophilic gliding rod of dog and human oral flora
kap-no-sy-TOFF-uh-guh
High-yield clue
Fulminant sepsis after a dog or cat bite in an asplenic or immunocompromised person is the classic C. canimorsus study clue.
Overview
A group of fastidious, capnophilic (CO2-loving) Gram-negative rods that show gliding motility. Zoonotic species such as C. canimorsus are part of dog and cat oral flora, while other species are human oral commensals.
Classification
- Gram-negative
- Rod (fusiform)
- Capnophilic
- Gliding motility
- Facultative anaerobe
Lab & identification clues
- Slow, CO2-dependent (capnophilic) growth vocabulary
- Long thin fusiform rods on smear
- PCR/16S identification concept
- Oxidase and catalase positive (C. canimorsus)
Associations
- Dog or cat bite transmission (C. canimorsus)
- Asplenia and alcohol use as risk-factor vocabulary
- Sepsis, meningitis, endocarditis study associations
- Human oral commensal species in neutropenic hosts
Commonly confused with
- Pasteurella multocida
- Eikenella corrodens
Your notes
Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.