Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a gram-negative, capnophilic rod constituting 
normal bacterial flora of the oral cavity of dogs and cats. It is also 
considered to be an etiological factor of infections in human that may lead to 
multiple complications, i.a. sepsis, endocarditis and meningitis. C. canimorsus 
poses a serious threat, especially to patients with asplenia, cirrhosis or 
alcohol abuse. In most cases, infection occurs after a dog bite. Isolation and 
identification of the bacteria from the biological material is difficult and 
often delayed because of slow growth of the bacteria on microbiological media. 
Gold standard for bacteriological identification of C. canimorsus is polymerase 
chain reaction method. Amoxicillin with clavulanic acid is considered the drug 
of choice used in prophylaxis of C. canimorsus infections. Based on the data 
available from the literature, the authors present the epidemiology, risk 
factors, clinical picture, diagnostic methods and treatment of the C. canimorsus 
infection.