Animal Bites Research Articles

TREND OF ANIMAL BITE CASES REPORTED TO ANTI RABIES VACCINATION CLINIC AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL.

Introduction: Rabies is a fatal viral zoonosis and serious public health problem. Though 100% fatal ,it is a 100% preventable disease .Rabies is a global burden and a fatal disease of the central nervous system .WHO reports around 55,000 rabies deaths out of which 20000 deaths are estimated to occur in India alone with 17.4 million exposures to animal bite every year. Rabies is transmitted to humans through animal bites, mostly dogs. Objectives: 1. To study the trend of animal bite cases over a period of last 10 years. 2. To study the distribution of cases according to gender, season and type of animal bite. Materials and Methods: This record based cross sectional study was carried out at the anti-rabies vaccination (ARV) clinic. All the new cases of animal bites reported to ARV clinic during the last 10 years, from January 2011 to December2020 were assessed. Data is presented using percentages and proportions. Results: In our study the number of animal bite cases were continuously increasing since 2011 till 2019 with an exception in 2013 and 2020 in which there were slight decrease in cases. Month wise distribution of animal bite victims attending the ARV clinic having highest number of animal bite cases in December i.e. 2951 followed by November (2878) followed by January (2874). Out of total 31,677 animal bite cases 28,303(89%) were urban & 3374(11%) were rural. The ratio of urban to rural is 8.3:1. Among the cases, 69% were males and 31% were females. Majority of the cases were of dog bite (88.75%) followed by cat bite (7.3%) and monkey bite (2.2%) and 1.75% of the cases were bitten by other animals. Conclusion: Thus, an increasing trend of animal bite cases is seen and this shall increase in the future also. So appropriate preventive & control measures with intersectoral coordination should be enhanced in endemic areas in a developing country like India.

COST EFFECTIVENESS OF INTRADERMALANTI-RABIES VACCINATION- A HOSPITAL RECORD BASED STUDY IN CENTRAL INDIA.

Introduction:Rabies a 100% fatal disease is completely preventable with timely post exposure prophylaxis. According to the Gold standard Essen intramuscular regimen, ve doses of 0.5 ml of anti rabies vaccine is required as compared to Updated Thai Red Cross intradermal regimen which requires four doses of only 0.1 ml each at 2 sites . Hence the present study was conducted to determine the cost effectiveness and compliance of 4 dose intradermal regimen of antirabies vaccine over 5 dose intramuscular regimen of anti rabies vaccine for post exposure prophylaxis. Methods: The present study is a hospital record-based study of 1020 cases attending antirabies vaccination clinic who received IM regimen of ARV in the year 2015 and 2256 cases who received ARVunder ID regimen during 2021. The cost effectiveness and compliance of both regimen was estimated. Results : A total of 3276 animal bite patient were studied. Antirabies vaccine by the Intramuscular route was administered to 1020 patients in the year 2015. While around 2256 patients were administered the Antirabies vaccine by the Intradermal route in the year 2021 costing Rs.14,18,352. If same number of cases were to be given intra muscular vaccination then the cost of vaccination would be Rs. 35,19,360. Thus a saving of Rs. 21,01,008 was effected in ID regimen over IM regimen. 53.72% patients completed the Intramuscular route of Antirabies vaccine schedule and 73.04% patients completed the Intradermal route of Antirabies vaccine schedule. Conclusion: Intradermal regimen is more cost effectiveness than intramuscular (Essen) regimen. And the compliance to post-exposure vaccination is better in case of ID regimen as compared to IM regimen

Death due to rabies after animal bite injury: Incidence pre– and post–COVID-19

1Private Academic Consultant, Bangkok Thailand 2Adjunct professor, Joseph Ayobabalola University, Ikeji-Arakeji, Nigeria; Honorary professor, Dr. DY Patil Medical College - Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, India Correspondence: Pathum Sookaromdee, Private Academic Consultant, Bangkok Thailand, Email: [email protected] Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.

The Outcomes of Flexor Tendon Injury Repair of the Hand: A Clinico-Epidemiological Study.

Background and objective The incidence of flexor tendon injury is estimated to be 7-14 per 100,000 population. In India, such injuries are common and about 5% of these injuries require repair of the flexor tendon. In the present study, we share our experience of hand flexor tendon repair at a tertiary care center in western India. Material and methods Over a period of three years, 45 patients were admitted for tendon repair. After performing a proper evaluation, patients were taken for tendon repair. Primary outcome and secondary outcome parameters were assessed at the end of three months. Physiotherapy was continued for a longer duration in patients with movement restrictions. Data were compiled at each stage. Results The mean age of the patients was 28.84 years (range: 13-68 years) with a majority of the cases belonging to the age group 15-60 years. The majority of hand injuries were accidental (caused by work-related accidents, machine injuries, or animal bites) amounting to 80% (n=36), followed by assault cases (11%, n=5) andself-inflicted injuries, i.e., attempted suicides (around 9%, n=4). Among all injuries, the majority were in zone V (60%, n=27) followed by 24.4% (n=11) of cases in zone II. A few cases were in zone I, III, and IV (2.2%, 11.2%, and 2.2% respectively). The Buck-Gramcko scoring for primary injury was excellent with a recovery rate of 57.78%. Conclusion Flexor tendon injuries should be repaired with the aim of recovering strength as well as mobility. Foroptimal outcomes, total active motion protocol should be commenced immediately after the surgical repair. However, long-term physiotherapy may be required for attaining desired benefits.

Epidemiological Investigation of Facial Soft Tissue Injury in Chinese Preschool Children.

The aim of this study was to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of pediatric facial soft tissue injuries of Chinese preschool-aged children in Hangzhou Plastic Surgery Hospital. Medical records of preschool-aged children's facial injuries, 6 years and younger, from January 2017 to December 2019 were collected. Sex; age; time of injury; length of stay; causes of injury; location, type, length, and depth of wound; anesthesia methods; and treatment and evaluation of postoperative scars were analyzed. There were 10,862 cases (male, 6780 cases; female, 4082 cases) in the group. The ratio of male to female was 1.66:1. Mean age was 3.4 (±1.6) years; the youngest was 1 month old. The time of injury occurred frequently between 9:00 and 13:00 and 16:00 to 21:00, with the most common incident time being between 19:00 and 20:00. Collision injury was the main cause of injury (9822 [90.43%]). The most frequently injured area was the forehead (4874 [44.87%]). The main form of injury was laceration wound (9721 [89.45%]). The depth of injuries was mainly middle layer (adipose or muscular layer) (6299 [57.99%]). The length of injuries was 1.7 (±0.9) cm, ranging from 0.2 to 10.5 cm. Furthermore, 9110 cases were repaired by plastic surgeries and 1 or more antiscar measures. After 6-month to 2-year follow-up, 9 cases of animal scratch or bite, lip penetrating wound, or bumping teeth were infected and 26 cases had scar hyperplasia. The others achieved satisfactory results, and the scars were not obvious. Preschool-aged children's facial injuries have predictable patterns of occurrence, and targeted preventive measures can reduce the incidence rates. After facial injury, children should present for timely plastic surgery treatment and accept combined antiscarring measures to minimize postoperative scarring.

The Determinants of Non-compliance on Rabies Vaccination in North-West Peninsular Malaysia

IntroductionRabies post-exposure vaccination (Rabies PEV) remains the most fundamental prevention of human Rabies if administered in a timely and appropriate manner. The study was aimed to determine the proportion and determinants of non-compliance on Rabies PEV among dog bite patients in Perlis, Malaysia from July 2015 to June 2020.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted using Perlis Rabid Potential Animal Bite Registry data. Independent variables and compliance status were obtained from the registry. Logistic regression analysis was utilized on 507 dog bite patients.ResultsMost of dog bite patients were age group of 46–60 years old (23.1%), male (61.3%), Chinese (49.5%), seeking treatment less than 24 h after the exposure (78.3%), category two of exposure (76.3%) and bitten on lower extremities (57.8%) by an owned dog (58.4%). Only 19.5% were non-compliance to Rabies PEV. Siamese had significantly two-timed (AOR: 2.00; 95% CI 1.06, 3.76) odd higher to become non-compliance. Being bitten during 3rd (AOR: 0.27; 95% CI 0.12, 0.59), 4th (AOR: 0.24; 95% CI 0.11, 0.52) and 5th (AOR: 0.20; 95% CI 0.09, 0.44) year of the outbreak had significantly lower odds to non-comply with Rabies PEV.Conclusion19.5% of dog bite patients still did not comply with the Rabies PEV series. Siamese would likely to non-comply whereas bitten on the 3rd, 4th and 5th years of outbreak less tendency to non-comply. Continuous health promotion to the public in the various languages despite outbreak status are ongoing to improve the perception of risk and benefit toward compliance of Rabies PEV.

Decadal trend analysis and epidemiological pattern of animal bite cases in a tertiary care hospital of North India

Abstract Background: Animal bites to humans are a public health problem, posing a potential threat of rabies to over 3.3 billion people worldwide. Knowledge regarding various epidemiological aspects of animal bite cases will be helpful to achieve the target of rabies elimination. In this regard, this study aimed to determine the trend and epidemiology of animal bite cases in a tertiary care hospital of North India. Materials and Methods: The secondary data analysis of records was conducted in Antirabies Clinic of BPS Government Medical College for Women Khanpur Kalan, Sonepat. Nearly all the facilities for animal bite management are available in this antirabies clinic hence a reasonable coverage is expected. The data of cases reported in 10 years (January 2012 to December 2021) were analyzed after seeking necessary permission from the authorities. Results: A total of 35,427 new cases of animal bite were reported in the decade. After interpretation of data from 2012 to 2021, the frequency of cases showed a rising trend from the year 2012, with the highest number of cases in the year 2019, while animal bite cases were maximum in month of March followed by February. There were almost two-third number of cases in males as compared to one-third females, with highest number of cases being in rural area. Conclusion: Animal bite cases are rising over the years. Most of the animal bite cases occurred during the start of the spring season, commonly occurred in children and males. We need to increase the frequency of information, education, and communication activities to properly handle animal bite so that rabies can be prevented and the target of rabies elimination by 2030 can be achieved.

Animal bite anaphylaxis, rarely diagnosed but underappreciated.

Animal allergies are common, with reactions ranging from rhinoconjunctivitis from respiratory exposure to anaphylaxis, usually from animal bites. Since animal bites are also common, this raises the question of how often anaphylaxis occurs following a bite. A PubMed, Google, and Google Scholar literature review was performed using keywords such as animal bite anaphylaxis. An inquiry was made to the Anaphylaxis Registry ANAPHYLAXIE.net to see if additional cases were contained in the registry. Approximately 40 cases of animal bite anaphylaxis are described in the literature, mostly from rodent bites (mice, rats, hamsters, and guinea pigs). A survey of laboratory animal bite anaphylaxis in the U.S. identified previously unreported cases, suggesting that most cases are not reported. Anaphylaxis from animal bites is rarely reported, but occurs more frequently than suggested by case reports and should be considered in a symptomatic patient following a bite.

Trends of Animal Bite Cases and Comparison of Cases Reported during Pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 Period in a Dedicated Anti-Rabies Clinic from a Tertiary Care Hospital, Hassan, Karnataka, India: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Introduction: Rabies causes 100% case fatality in animal bite victims if left untreated, and it ranks as the 10th leading cause of death due to infectious diseases worldwide. India alone reports 20,000 human rabies deaths annually, accounting for one-third of global mortalities related to the disease. However, rabies is 100% preventable. The nationwide lockdown imposed from March 25, 2020, to curb the spread of the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) disrupted various essential health services, including Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) for rabies. Aim: to describe the socio-demographic profile of animal bite cases and assess the burden of animal bites during the pre and post COVID-19 Pandemic, specifically in patients reporting to the dedicated Anti-Rabies Clinic (ARC) of a tertiary care hospital in Hassan, Karnataka, India. Materials and Methods: A retrospective record-based study was conducted from January 2019 to November 2021 among animal bite cases reporting to the ARC at Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences, Hassan, Karnataka, India. Data on age, gender, locality, and socio-economic status were collected from the records maintained at the ARC. All subjects with complete data in the records were included in the study. All animal bite cases were managed according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, with necessary COVID-19 precautions taken. A total of 3,706, 3,303, and 2,144 subjects were considered for the years 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. Results: There was a decreasing trend in the reported cases during the pandemic. The proportion of animal bite cases among those less than 19 years old was 1,146 (30.9%), 1,124 (34.1%), and 711 (33.1%) in the years 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. The majority of animal bite victims were males: 2,489 (67.2%), 2,240 (67.8%), and 1,173 (54.7%) in the years 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. The majority belonged to the rural population, with 2,668 (72.0%), 1,057 (32%), and 1,586 (74%) in the years 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. However, there was an increase in the number of victims from the urban population in the year 2020, with nearly 2,246 (68%). Most of them, 2,299 (62%), 2,114 (64%), and 1,441 (67.2%) in the years 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively, belonged to a lower socio-economic status. Category-III bites made up the majority representation in all the years 2019, 2020, and 2021. Conclusion: The number of animal bite cases reported during the pandemic was lower compared to the pre-pandemic phase. This highlights either missed reporting of cases or a reduction in exposure to animals, which decreased the risk of animal bites.

Camel Bite in an 11-year-old Child: A Case Report from Northwestern Nigeria

ABSTRACT Background: Globally, animal bites are a major source of morbidity and mortality. However, camel bites are relatively rare in the medical literature. Whenever such bites occur, adults are mainly affected. Cases are exceedingly rare in children. We report a case of a camel bite in a male child. Case Presentation: The patient was an 11-year-old boy who presented to the Emergency Department of our facility 10 h after being bitten on his cheeks by a camel. The injury occurred while the patient was trying to feed the camel that strongly gripped the patient’s face between its jaws leading to multiple facial injuries. He was co-managed by the pediatric and maxillofacial teams. He did well and was discharged home after 10 days of admission. Conclusion: Camels are potential causes of serious injuries for children in this part of the country. Efforts should be made to prevent such injuries, which have the potential of being infected with tetanus and rabies in addition to disrupting school attendance. Public education about the proper and compassionate handling of domestic animals should be carried out.

Prevalence of Human Monkeypox virus

Monkeypox virus appeared in the countries of Central and West Africa. Two distinct species have been identified, the West African type and the Congo type, also known as the Central African type.In the outbreak of monkeypox was first discovered in 1958, while the first human case of the disease was diagnosed in 1970 in the Republic of the Congo in a 7-year-old child. The incubation period ranges from 5-21 days.Monkeypox is transmitted to humans by contact with the virus that causes it through;Mouth and contact with infected animals, including mice, rats, and squirrels, common for monkeypox transmission in Africa, during animal bites from infected animals to humans. Touching the fur or skin of animals, or what comes out of them from blood or bodily fluids. In the case of monkeypox, the virus is transmitted from the mother to the fetus. The main symptoms of monkeypox are similar to the symptoms of smallpox, but they are milder, with the only difference being swollen lymph nodes, fever, headache, backache, cough, sore throat, stuffy nose, fatigue, exhaustion and sweating. The rash of monkeypox begins to appear after 1 - 3 days from the patient with fever, which appears on the face first, then the body begins to spread to the rest of the parts, such as the hands, legs, inside the mouth, genitals, conjunctiva, and the cornea. A complication of monkeypox is Secondary bacterial infection, such as pneumonia, encephalitis, and eye infection.

Dropout rate of anti-rabies vaccination among rural and urban communities in Tamil Nadu: A comparative cross-sectional study

Background: Rabies is a vaccine preventable deadly disease. There is a lack of organized surveillance system on animal bite victims to ensure completion of full course of post-exposure prophylaxis. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to estimate the dropout rate of anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) post-exposure regimen among rural and urban communities of Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu. To interpret the association between category of bite and vaccination outcome among rural and urban communities of Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu. Materials and Methods: A retrospective hospital record based study (ARV REGISTER) was done in urban primary health center (PHC) Haridosspuram and rural PHC, Kelambakkam during January 2021. Collected data were entered into MS Excel and analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. Total dropout rates of ARV regimen among rural and urban communities were compared by Chi-square test. Results: A total of 5262 animal bite victims were vaccinated during the past 2 years. The majority (37.4%) of victims belonged to 21–40 years of age. The total dropout rate observed among both rural and urban communities was 51.2% with the higher proportion (72.8%) of dropouts seen among victims of category I bite. Wound washing practice was observed among the victims. Higher dropout rate (61.3%) of ARV regimen was observed among urban communities compared to rural communities (50.2%). Significant association was found between the category of animal bite and the vaccination outcome in both rural and urban communities. Conclusion: The animal bite victims should be educated and counseled about the importance of complete vaccination. The health workers should ensure proper follow-up of the victims to complete the vaccination schedule and thus prevent drop outs.

Successful Treatment of Pasteurella multocida-Related Invasive Infections with a Beta-Lactamase Inhibitor-Sparing Combination Antibiotic Regimen: A Case Series

Pasteurella multocida, a Gram-negative, penicillin-sensitive coccobacillus that is frequently a member of the normal respiratory microbiota of different animals, remains a clinically important pathogen with the ability to cause severe disease. Few case reports have involved P. multocida infections without animal bites. Moreover, few reports have identified P. multocida as the causative agent of septic shock, which usually occurs in patients with cirrhosis and/or immunocompromised patients. To our knowledge, a human submandibular salivary gland abscess caused by P. multocida has not been reported. Pasteurella spp. are resistant to benzylpenicillin, and human isolates of beta-lactamase-producing resistant strains of P. multocida resistant have also been documented. The noteworthy findings of the current study were as follows: (i) the combination of ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin successfully treated two patients infected with P. multocida; (ii) the first reported case of a septicemic patient with no history of animal bites and a submandibular P. multocida infection; and (iii) an immunocompetent patient in septic shock due to a P. multocida systemic infection.

Outcomes After Primary Closure of Animal Bite Wounds

Introduction: Most animal bites heal without difficulty. However, some animal bite wounds lead to infection, and whether animal bite wounds should be left open or sutured remains controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors for bite-wound infection, and whether primary closure interfered with wound infection.Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective cohort study. The following information was extracted: date of treatment, age, sex, location of the injury, severity of injuries, surgical procedure, the interval between injuries, and primary treatment.Results: A total of 535 patients presented with dog- or cat-bite wounds. Primary closure was performed in 89 patients (17.0%); 73 patients had wound infections (14%). There were no significant differences between infection and age, sex, animal species, wound location, or severity (P = 0.46, 0.35, and 0.30, respectively). However, occurrence of wound infections after primary wound closure increased significantly (P < 0.05). More infections in the head, neck, and lower extremities occurred particularly in the primary closure group than in the open wound group (P < 0.05).Head and neck bite wounds generally exhibit low infection rates owing to the rich blood supply to the area. However, our study showed that the infection rates of head and neck bite injuries were similar to those of the upper and lower extremities.Conclusion: There were many cases of infection after primary suturing, even in the head and neck regions. Therefore, careful follow-up after primary care of bite wounds is required.

Epidemiology of animal bite in Iran: A Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Despite a lot of efforts made in the rabies health-care system, Iran is still in an endemic region and millions are spent annually to prevent rabies. Searching in national and international databases has been performed. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses protocol were followed. To assess heterogeneity, the I-index was calculated. In addition, sensitivity analysis was performed by the remove-one method. The publication bias was also investigated by Egger's regression test, and the trim and fill method. To perform a meta-analysis, CMA version 2 software was used. Totally, 33 studies with 250,980 animal-bite cases were meta-analyzed. A summary estimate of the incidence of 1200 per 100,000 population (95% CI 1000, 1500) with a mean age of 29.97±15.13years (95%CI: 29.33, 30.61) was estimated. The rate in men was higher 76.7% (95%CI 74.7%, 78.8%) than in women and in the rural 49.7% (95%CI: 42.8%, 58.6%) was equal in the urban. Most bites occurred in the spring and summer 20.5% (95%CI: 16.1%, 25.9%). The highest of job-related bites was in students 20.1% (95%CI: 19%, 23%). The highest rate of bite location and the animal type were estimated in the order of lower limbs and by dogs respectively. The rate of complete vaccination 61% (95%CI: 43%, 76%) and immunoglobulin injection 39% (95%CI: 22%, 59%), were estimated respectively. Estimates reveal that there has been little change in the animal bites over the years. It is necessary to take special actions to control the disease at the national and international levels.

Incidence rate of animal bites in southern Iran during 2015-2019 using Cochrane-Armitage trend test

Objective: To investigate the trend of animal bites in southern Iran from 2015 to 2019.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of patients with animal bites who were referred to the Center for Disease Control in the three cities of Larestan, Evaz, and Khonj in Fars province, southern Iran from 2015 to 2019. The trend of animal bites incidence was analyzed using the Cochran-Armitage trend test.Results: In total, from 2015 to 2019, 1 944 cases of animal bites were reported. A total of 79.8% of the cases were men. The overall average incidence of animal bites was 142.93 per 100 000 people. The incidence of animal bites was significantly increased (Ptrend<0.001). The highest incidence was in November (79.04 per 100 000 people) followed by January (76.1 per 100 000 people) and February (69.48 per 100 000 people); also, the lowest incidence was in August (47.42 per 100 000 people) and July (50.0 per 100 000 people).Conclusions: The incidence of animal bites has significantly increased. Given the importance of rabies, control and management of animal bites should be emphasized and considered.

A Rural Obstetrician with Acute Severe Foot Pain: Could it be a Scorpion Sting?

ABSTRACT Scorpion stings, a potentially life-threatening emergency, are under-reported in Nigeria. A sudden initially unexplained, severe excruciating, right toe pain with minimal swelling in a rural-dwelling obstetrician was due to a sting by an unknown species of scorpion lodged in the victim’s shoe. He was managed by supportive treatment with digital block using plain lignocaine, intravenous hydrocortisone, analgesics, tetanus prophylaxis, and close monitoring with a good outcome. Scorpion sting can occur in the rural-dwelling healthcare worker despite their knowledge of preventive measures. The low index of suspicion, coupled with fatigue/burnout from work overload, can be risk factors for stings. A sting is an important differential diagnosis of acute severe foot pain, especially in rural settings where animal bites and stings are common. There is poor scorpion species characterization among healthcare workers. Reduction of incidences of stings will require consistent application of preventive measures.

Passive Surveillance of Rabies Post Exposure Incidents in Goshta and Mohmand Dara Districts

Background: Rabies is a perilous viral disease that is lethal, affecting primarily warm-blooded creatures, including humans. Once clinical signs manifest, the illness becomes fatal. The World Health Organization (WHO) approximates that approximately 59,000 individuals perish annually worldwide due to rabies. Materials and Methods: This disease poses a significant challenge to health and public welfare in Afghanistan, where there is close contact between stray dogs, animals, and humans. Our research was conducted in the Goshta and Mohmand Dara districts of Nangarhar province, employing the principles of passive surveillance and retrospective review. We focused on registered potential cases of exposure to dog bites in both humans and animals. The data collected encompassed patient attributes, such as age, gender, residency (village), place of exposure, time of exposure, animal classification (wild, stray or domestic), anatomical location of the bite, depth of injury, and administered vaccination doses. Findings: A total of 17 human cases were recorded where out of the mentioned cases 12 belonged to Mohmand Dara district and five cases to Goshta district. In the studied human population except for two cases which were bitten/scratched by other animals (donkey and cat) all remaining were bitten/scratched by dogs. Only four dogs showed clinical symptoms of rabies. All victims received complete doses (5 doses) of anti-rabies vaccination (ARV) after exposure and were observed until the end of the research study, all cured. This study showed that case occurrence is different according to area and occurs more in males (82.352%) compared to females (17.647%). Also, people with an age of less than 20 years are more susceptible to dog bites. This study also showed that understudy populations are more bitten by dogs. A higher percentage of people are bitten in lower limbs. No predator animals have shown symptoms. The dog bites were significantly (P&lt;0.05) increased during May-July compared to Aug-Sep, it means the exposure was effected by season. A total of four animal (cattle) cases of different ages were recorded in veterinary health centers, all bitten by dogs, none showed symptoms. Two of the mentioned animals were slaughtered before onset of symptoms and two remaining were observed no one showed symptoms. Conclusion: The study shows that dog bite is the main cause of transmission in humans and animals, especially among the male sex including children and young adults. Amended surveillance and prevention of dog bite-related wounds, predominantly among children, are needed.

Информированность населения Республики Татарстан по вопросам эпидемиологии и профилактики бешенства

The level of population awareness and alertness in the prevention of rabies, as well as the organization of anti-rabies prevention for the population, is an important factor that plays a role in the development of the epidemic process of this disease. Therefore, we conducted a study to assess the awareness of the population in the Tatarstan Republic on the rabies epidemiology and prevention. Materials and methods. An anonymous online survey of the population permanently residing in the Tatarstan Republic (n=105) was conducted. Categorical data is presented as percentages (%) and absolute values. Results. 32 men (30.5%) and 73 women (69.5%) took part in the survey. The age of the respondents was 18-66 years, the median age was 26 years [Q1-Q3=23-30 years]. 88.6% of respondents live in the city (93/105), 11.4% (12/105) – in the rural area. 91.4% of respondents (96/105) believe that rabies can be infected through bites, scratches, and salivation by animals; only 59.0% (62/105) know that infection can occur when animal saliva gets on wounds. Only 66.7% of respondents (70/105) know about the existence of an anti-rabies vaccine. 60.0% (63/105) of respondents have pets, but among them only two thirds (65.1%, 41/63) have vaccinated their pets against rabies. A third of the respondents (35.2%, 37/105) experienced contact with an animal (bite or salvation of a wound). Among those who had contact with animals, more than half (54.1%, 20/37) did not seek medical help after the injury. Among the respondents who did not apply to a medical organization for help after the injury (n=20), only 45.0% of people suffered from vaccinated animals. 10.0% of respondents suffered from unvaccinated animals. In other cases, the vaccination status of the animal was unknown (45.0%). Conclusion. The study demonstrated an insufficient awareness in the rabies prevention and a low rate of seeking medical help in population after injury received from animals.

A case of cat bite associated Pasteurella multocida prosthetic joint infection

Cases of Pasteurella multocida related joint infections are often late in onset, but with the increase in prosthetic joints should be considered, especially in knee infections. Often thought of in relation to animal bites, these infections are further transmitted by nasal secretions, scratches, and licking behavior. We present a case of Pasteurella multocida joint infection in a patient who presented with a classic inciting factor of a cat bite, but presented initially with Enterococcus faecalis bacteremia, which obscured the clinical picture. This patient provides a good reminder of why all patients with cat bites and prosthesis should receive antibiotic prophylaxis post bite, as well as a good reminder to clinicians to keep P. multocida on their differential.