Animal Bites

Background

Because mouths are so full of bacteria, it is easy for bites to become infected and they therefore require medical attention to nip infections in the bud.

Human bites are especially likely to become infected. Involuntary biting injuries due to closed-fist injuries from fists striking teeth are a common consequence of fist fights. These have been termed "fight bites." Injuries in which the knuckle joints or tendons of the hand are bitten into tend to be the most serious. Get these looked at by your physician.

Treatments

Wash out the bite with soap and water followed by a disinfectant. Soaking does not help, but rinsing (called irrigating) the wound to wash out the infection is important.

Antibiotics are especially important for bites on the hand, and any human bites that are more than superficial. Doctors will likely use one such as Augmentin or, if penicillin allergic, they may use doxycycline.

Getting your tetanus shots updated are worthwhile. Unlike many infections where vaccines protect you even if you don’t take them (nobody else has smallpox so you can’t catch it from anyone, a scenario called "herd immunity"), tetanus resides in the soil and is every bit as bad a problem as it was 150 years ago. Tetanus killed more people than gunshot wounds during the Civil War, so this is a good vaccine to stay current on!