title: Human and animal bite infections.
abstract: Although often innocuous initially, human and animal bites can cause serious local and systemic infections as well as other complications. Bites to a site where joints or bones are close to the skin are especially prone to severe complications. Bites to the hand, therefore, require meticulous radiographic and surgical evaluation if a puncture or a severe laceration has occurred. Since the normal human oral flora harbors more pathogens than that of animals, human bites have a higher incidence of serious infections and complications. The oral flora of both humans and animals is anaerobic-aerobic, and initial empiric treatment requires the most broad spectrum antimicrobial therapy available, in addition to scrupulous wound management and, when required, immunization against rabies and tetanus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Brook
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology; D001734:Bites, Human / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology; D002415:Cats; D004285:Dogs; D006801:Humans; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000382:microbiology