Bite, Human

Bite, Human is a topic covered in the 5-Minute Emergency Consult.

To view the entire topic, please or purchase a subscription.

Emergency Central is a collection of disease, drug, and test information including 5-Minute Emergency Medicine Consult, Davis’s Drug, McGraw-Hill Medical’s Diagnosaurus®, Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests, and MEDLINE Journals created for emergency medicine professionals. Explore these free sample topics:

Emergency Central

-- The first section of this topic is shown below --

Basics

Description

  • 3rd most common bite (after dogs and cats)
  • Most bites (up to 75%) occur during aggressive acts.
  • 15–20% are related to sexual activity (love nips).
  • 2 types of bites:
    • Occlusional bites: Laceration or crush injury to affected body part:
      • Occurs when human teeth bite into the skin
      • More prone to infection than animal bites
    • Clenched-fist injuries (CFIs) (CFIs; most serious type): Present as small wounds over metacarpophalangeal joints in dominant hand (fight bites):
      • Sustained from a clenched fist striking the mouth and teeth of another person
  • With joint relaxation from the clenched position:
    • Puncture site sealed
    • Oral bacteria inoculated in the anaerobic setting within the joint
    • Bacterial inoculation carried by the tendons deeper into the potential spaces of the hand
    • Increases chances for a more extensive infection

Etiology

  • Aerobic and anaerobic organisms:
    • Most common:
      • Streptococcus
      • Staphylococcus
    • Others:
      • Eikenella corrodens
      • Haemophilus influenzae
      • Peptostreptococcus
      • Corynebacterium
      • E. corrodens exhibits synergism with Streptococcus, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacteroides, and gram-negative organisms
  • Although rare, case reports of viral transmission via bites (hepatitis, HIV, and herpes)

-- To view the remaining sections of this topic, please or purchase a subscription --