Cat flea fiasco: Innocent bite leads to life-threatening infection and amputation to Texan man

A Texan man, after suffering what seemed similar to flu symptoms following a cat flea bite, was diagnosed with a severe infection leading to organ failure. Doctors battled arduously to save his life by amputating parts of his legs and arms.

This unfortunate incident happened to a 35 year old resident of Houston, Texas, USA, last month. Michael Kohlhaof was visiting his mother in San Antonio when he began feeling unwell with flu-like symptoms and gastrointestinal issues. His condition worsened and led the Texan man to seek medical assistance in the hospital on June 19.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Kohlhaof was immediately moved to the emergency room. He needed assisted breathing and his organs started to fail. After further testing, doctors diagnosed him with a severe form of typhus, resulting from a bacterial infection spread by cat fleas.

Within a matter of hours, Kohlhoff developed an infection in his bloodstream. His condition escalated, with him being moved to the intensive care unit the following day. He was in septic shock, intubated, and put on continuous renal replacement therapy, reported KhaoSod.

Eleven days after the Texan man was admitted, doctors observed necrosis in both his legs and arms. With the threat of it spreading and leading to sudden brain death, the one way to save his life was to amputate parts of his limbs. Kohlhoff endured multiple surgeries and is currently undergoing recovery in the hospital, with a still undetermined period for complete healing.

Flea-borne typhus is a bacterial infection spread by fleas inhabiting rats, cats, possums, and other animals. The illness has symptoms resembling various other diseases, including flu. Typhus presentation may range from fever, muscle pain, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal pain, and rashes. Antibiotics treat the illness, however, fatalities can occur without proper medical intervention.

Dr Catherine Troisi, an infectious disease epidemiologist from the UT Health Houston School of Public Health noted that in recent years, there had been a dramatic increase in cases of typhus in Texas. It remains unclear exactly how and where Kohlhaof was bit by the infected flea.

The best method of typhus prevention is to avoid being bitten by fleas. This starts with controlling the fleas on your pets, not leaving pet food out of doors, and making sure your garbage cans are tightly sealed.