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Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 18e
| Part 8. Infectious Diseases > Section 2. Clinical Syndromes. Community-Acquired Infections > |
Chapter e24. Infectious Complications of Bites
Sections: Infectious Complications of Bites: Introduction, Treatment: Bite-Wound Infections, Further Readings.
Topics Discussed: animal bites; bite; bite infection.
Excerpt:"The skin is an essential component of the nonspecific immune system, protecting the host from potential pathogens in the environment. Breaches in this protective barrier thus represent a form of immunocompromise that predisposes the patient to infection. Bites and scratches from animals and humans allow the inoculation of microorganisms past the skin's protective barrier into deeper, susceptible host tissues.In the United States, dogs bite >4.7 million people each year and are responsible for 80% of all animal-bite wounds, an estimated 15–20% of which become infected. Each year, 800,000 Americans seek medical attention for dog bites; of those injured, 386,000 require treatment in an emergency department, with >1000 emergency department visits each day and about a dozen deaths per year. Most dog bites are provoked and are inflicted by the victim's pet or by a dog known to the victim. These bites frequently occur during efforts to break up a dogfight. Children are more likely than adults to sustain canine bites, with the highest incidence of 6 bites per 1000 population among boys 5–9 years old. Victims are more often male than female, and bites most often involve an upper extremity. Among children <4 years old, two-thirds of all these injuries involve the..."
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