Abstract
A 19-day-old infant was bitten by a macaque monkey in western Singapore, resulting in a full thickness laceration of his upper eyelid, which was successfully repaired with good structural, functional and aesthetic outcome. Periorbital injuries of children are of concern in view of the risk of visual impairment. In addition, monkey bite inoculations carry the risk of transmitting multiple bacterial, Rabies and Herpes B viral infections. The acute management and surgical repair, as well as learning points on management of Simian injuries are discussed.
Highlights
Monkey bites are relatively uncommon, with no previous case reports documenting such lesions of the face or eyelid
Much of how we manage such injuries are learned from reports of other mammalian bites including human, dog and cat bites,which have been much more well documented [1,2]
Monkey bites are of particular concern due to the possible transmission of virus infections such as Rabies and Herpes B (Herpesvirus simiae) viruses, in addition to bacterial infections [9,10]
Summary
Monkey bites are relatively uncommon, with no previous case reports documenting such lesions of the face or eyelid. Much of how we manage such injuries are learned from reports of other mammalian bites including human, dog and cat bites ,which have been much more well documented [1,2] Such bites, which include superficial abrasions, lacerations, and puncture wounds, have a higher prevalence in children, are usually caused by pets and frequently involve the face [35]. Examination of the head revealed multiple superficial and deep lacerations of the scalp and face, including a 5cm irregular deep laceration over the left upper eyelid (Figure 1). This full thickness laceration extended from the medial canthal angle above the medial canthal tendon, superior to the tarsus involving the levator aponeurosis with extension to the temporal area (Figure 2). There were no abnormalities of the ocular development of the child otherwise and the parents were satisfied with the surgical outcome
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