BITES, STINGS Flashcards
High Risk Wounds
- Hand or foot bites
- Extremity bite with underlying venous/lymphatic compromise
- Puncture or crush injury
- Cat bite (due to deep puncture)
- Immunosuppression
- Wounds w/delayed presentation ≥12 hrs old on extremity, ≥24 hrs on face
- Bite near vascular graft or prosthetic joint`
Time from bite to signs/symptoms of infection
24 hrs for dogs/12 hrs for cats
Dog & Cat Bites - Management
• Do NOT close a puncture wound
• Do NOT close any high-risk wounds
Antibiotic Prophylaxis (3-5 days) & Empiric Treatment (5-14 days)
• Mupirocin ointment TID for minor wounds
• Amoxicillin-clavulanate (Augmentin)
• Adults - 875/125mg BID
• Peds - 7:1 formulation: 22.5mg/kg BID
Human Bites
≈ 25% become infected
• 2-24 hrs for infection onset
• Likelihood of infection: location, depth, host factors
• Relevant pathogens:
• Oral flora - group A Strep, Fusobacterium, Peptostreptococcus,
• Skin flora – staphylococci and streptococci
Human Bite mgmt - uninfected v infected
Uninfected – wound care, abx prophylaxis, tetanus, Hep B/C, HIV…. if infected, add imaging and a surgical consult
Human bite abx mgmt
Antibiotic Prophylaxis (3-5 days) & Empiric Treatment (5-14 days)
• Mupirocin ointment TID for minor wounds
• Amoxicillin-clavulanate (Augmentin)
• Adults - 875/125mg BID
• Peds - 7:1 formulation: 22.5mg/kg BID
Fleas
- Wingless, 1-8mm, dark brown insect capable of jumping 2 feet
- Live on livestock, pets & humans
- Cat flea most likely to bite humans
Flea clinical presentation
- Clusters of red papules
- Legs, ankles, axillae, skin folds
- Children more sensitive – papular urticaria
Flea clinical mgmt
Management • Home extermination, treat pets • Pruritus relief is primary goal • Topical corticosteroids • Burow’s solution or calamine lotion • Treat for secondary infection
Black Widow
- Western 1⁄2 of US & Southeast (Maryland, Southern Ohio, and lower states)
- Rarely indoors
- Clutter around homes (sheds, garages, etc.)
Brown Recluse
- Midwest & Southern extending Westward
- Rarely outdoors, inside homes (basements, cupboards, attics) • If outdoors – cool, dark places other than live vegetation
Black Widow Bite
- Asymptomatic to sharp sting
- Systemic reaction (20 min – 2 hours after bite)
- Spreading severe pain & localized diaphoresis at site of bite
- Abdominal rigidity, muscle spasms, headache, nausea, vomiting • Infants & preschool children – seizures and tetany
Brown Recluse Bite
Typically painless bite
• Red papules or plaque with central pallor
Systemic reaction (1-2 days/rare)
• Expanding necrotic ulcer at site of bite
• Malaise, nausea, vomiting, fever, myalgia
• Rarely – acute hemolytic anemia, DIC, thrombocytopenia
Cutaneous Larva Migrans
• Infection with cat or dog hookworm larvae
• Parasitic infestation of epidermis
• Eggs passed through stool into sand
or soil, grow into larvae
• Larvae penetrate epidermis →
migration for weeks → trail of inflammation → spontaneous resolution
Cutaneous Larva Migrans
Clinical Presentation
• Begin with pruritic papules
• Within a few days; intensely pruritic serpiginous tracts • Larvae migrate from 2mm up to 2cm/day
• Can occur days to weeks after exposure
-Dermoscopy – brown, translucent, structureless areas (larva bodies) & dotted red vessels (burrow)
Cutaneous Larva Migrans mgmt
stromectal, topical steroids, antihistmaines, spontaneous resolution in 4-6 weeks
Pediculosis
Transmission through direct contact with infested persons or fomites Feed on human blood, can live up to 10 days without feeding
Pediculosis Capitis
- School age children, girls > boys, whites > blacks
- Occipital scalp, neck and postauricular skin most affected
- Allergic reaction to lice saliva causes pruritus
- Medication resistant
- Eyelashes may be involved