Most people fear being attacked by a fighting dog on the street. But when a beloved cat or even a fellow human bites at home, the consequences are often even worse, because cat or human bites are more likely to have serious consequences than a dog bite: 10 to 20 percent of all dog bites, but up to 45 percent of all cat bites, lead to serious infections.
Cat bites are highly infectious
The rate is even higher for human bites. Cats are less powerful than dogs but have the sharper biters. Their fine and extremely pointed teeth effortlessly penetrate joints, tendons, and bones, and their saliva is highly infectious there.
Danger exists especially in bite wounds on the hand, which are superficially inconspicuous. Sometimes only small punctures are visible, but in the depth of bones or tendons exotic pathogens spread. In cats, this is often Pasteurella multocida, which leads first to bone inflammation and then to sepsis.
Even “love bites” are not without
Human bites are 80 percent caused by quarrels, while 20 percent are “love bites.” Child bites are usually harmless. But when an adult’s fist collides with another’s teeth, irreparable damage is often done, especially if lies are told about the origin of the injury. This is because human saliva very often contains unusual pathogens. The most dangerous is Eikenella corrodens. It is found in up to 30 percent of all infected human bite wounds. Such injuries are then a case for infection specialists, because penicillin and other commonly used antibiotics do not work here.
Treat bite wounds as early as possible
Dangerous are all bite wounds that are still inflamed after 24 hours. However, it should not get that far. The first measure is to clean the surface of the bite wounds with an iodine solution. Deep wounds must be flushed out by the doctor with a saline solution and dead tissue surgically removed. The doctor then decides whether the wound should be sutured or treated “open”.
In addition to the type of wound, the patient’s immune status also plays a role. In people who have had their spleen removed, or who have an immune deficiency for other reasons, the wound is often treated “open.” In particularly vulnerable patients, precautionary antibiotic administration may sometimes be indicated. However, this is usually unnecessary in noninflamed wounds.