Animal bites

Cat bites are the second most common animal bite, most often occurring in women and elderly individuals. Most involve the hand. Because cats have long, thin teeth that cause puncture wounds, their bites are more likely to become infected than a dog bite. Approximately 50% of cat bites become infected.43,44... 

I Bite-wound infections generally are polymicrobial. On average, five different bacterial species can be isolated from an infected animal bite wound.3 Both the normal flora of the biter s mouth and that of the bite recipient s skin can be implicated. The bacteriology of the cat and dog mouth is quite similar. Pasteurella multocida, a gram-negative aerobe, is one of the predominant pathogens, isolated in up to 50% of dog and 75% of cat bites. S. viridans are the most frequently cultured bacteria from human bite wounds.3,43 Table 70-10 provides a comprehensive list of cat, dog, and human bite-wound pathogens. 

The most effective agent for the treatment (and prophylaxis) of human and animal bite-wound infections is amoxicillin-clavulanate. Alternatives for patients with significant penicillin allergies include either a fluoroquinolone or TMP-SMX in combination with clindamycin. Doxycycline also may be prescribed. The durations of prophylaxis and treatment generally are 3 to 5 and 10 to 14 days, respectively.3... 

Patients with animal bite wounds may require rabies prophylaxis.43,44 If the bite is from a bat, a wild animal, a domestic animal that has or is suspected to have rabies, or an unavailable animal, the patient should receive rabies immune globulin and vaccine immediately.45... 

Normal Routes of Exposure Inhalation Ingestion Abraded skin and Animal bites Mucous membranes. 

In the year 2000, poison centers in the United States responded to nearly two and half million incidents, mosdy home exposures to chemical products, animal bites, and poisonous plants. Over 50% involved children under the age of six. In all, 24,024 incidents resulted in medical outcomes deemed major , and there were 1711 deaths. Almost half (46%) stemmed from exposure to pharmaceutical products. Of the remaining exposures, the largest groups resulted from cosmetics and personal care products and household cleaners. Although the large number of incidents says more about the ubiquity of potentially hazardous products in the home than about their toxicity, the numbers also point out the extent of the potential dangers if products are toxic or if medical aid is not rapidly received. Many more deaths and serious injuries would occur if not for the rapid intervention of poison centers. 

A Drug Information Centre may also serve as a Poison Control Centre, which will include services towards the public. The Poison Control Centre answers questions concerning possibly toxic effects of any kind of ingested substance, animal bites or stings, or other forms of chemical exposure. This kind of service will require a 24-hour attendance, whereas the work of answering drug related questions usually can be limited to office hours. 

Lemmaphyllum microphyllum Presl. Jing Mian Cao (whole plant) Vitamins, luteolin-7-P-D-glucopyranoside, flavonoids, d-apiose, protein, resin.48 A poultice for animal bites, itchiness, a lotion for smallpox, relieve headache. 

Pasteurella multocida Abscesses bacteremia meningitis wound infections (animal bites] Penicillin G A cephalosporin doxycycline amoxicillin/ clavulanate trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole... 

Goldstein EJ, et al. In vitro activity of Bay 12-8039, a new 8-methoxyquino-lone, compared to the activities of 11 other oral antimicrobial agents against 390 aerobic and anaerobic bacteria isolated from human and animal bite wound skin and soft tissue infections in humans. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 1997, 41, 1552-1557. 

Suppression of existing infection before it causes overt disease, e.g. tuberculosis, malaria, animal bites, trauma. 

All bite wounds (either animal or human) should be irrigated thoroughly with large volumes of sterile normal saline, and the injured area should be immobilized and elevated. Infections developing within the first 24 hours after a dog or cat bite are caused most often by Pasteurella multocida and should be treated with penicillin or amoxicillin for 10 to 14 days. Infections developing more than 36 to 48 hours after an animal bite are most likely caused by staphylococci or streptococci and should be treated with an antistaphylococcal penicillin or cephalosporin. 

Cat bites, with an estimated incidence of 5% to 15% of all animal bites, are the second most common canse of animal bite wounds in the United States. Bites and scratches occnr most commonly on the upper extremities, with most injuries reported in women. Infection rates, estimated at 30% to 50%, are more than double those seen with dog bites. ... 

The potential for infection from an animal bite is great owing to the pressure that can be exerted during the bite and the vast number of potential pathogens that make up the normal oral flora. Cats teeth are slender and extremely sharp. Their teeth easily penetrate into bones and joints, resulting in a higher incidence of septic arthritis... 

Human bites are the third most frequent type of bite. Infected human bites can occur as bites from the teeth or from blows to the mouth (clenched-fist injuries). Human bites generally are more serious than animal bites and carry a higher likelihood of infection than do most animal bites. Infectious complications occur in 10% to 50% of patients with human bites. ... 

Human bites generally are more serious and more prone to infection than animal bites, particularly clenched-flst injuries. While the force of a punch may sever a tendon or nerve or break a bone, it most often causes a breach in the capsule of the metacarpophalangeal joint, leading to direct inoculation of bacteria into thejointorbone. When the hand is relaxed, the tendons carry bacteria into deeper spaces of the hand, resulting in more extensive infection. ... 

Samples for bacterial cultures (aerobic and anaerobic) should be collected as per animal bites. 

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