title: Multidisciplinary approach to fatal dog attacks: a forensic case study.
abstract: Dog-bite-related injuries and fatalities are increasing in incidence and represent an important public health concern, as dogs are more and more becoming an integral part of human social life. We report the case of a 27-year-old woman who was found dead in her home. Her body was discovered lying face down in a large pool of partially desiccated blood with signs of having been dragged. Site examination revealed the presence of severe injuries on the face, neck and head, which were then traced back to the dog she owned. Death was attributed to exsanguinations due to a neck blood vessel's laceration with fracture of the fifth cervical vertebra. This was uncommon because the dog bites injured the vertebral artery only without any lacerations of the carotid artery. Confirming that the injuries are dog-bite related was based on a multidisciplinary approach including histological findings, odontological examination of bite marks and DNA analysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Universital Hospital Fattouma Bourguiba, Faculty of Medicine, University of Monastir, Al Munastîr, Tunisia. nidhal.hajsalem@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: Nidhal Haj
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Salem
authors.forename: Meriem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Belhadj
authors.forename: Abir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aissaoui
authors.forename: Mohamed Amine
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mesrati
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chadly
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000473:pathology*; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004285:Dogs; D058734:Exsanguination; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D050724:Fractures, Cartilage / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007601:Jugular Veins / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology; D007817:Laryngeal Cartilages / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000473:pathology; D013957:Thyroid Cartilage / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology; D014711:Vertebral Artery / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology
keywords: Animal behaviour; Autopsy; Dog bites; Fatal dog attacks