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Hand & Upper Limb
intermediate
X-Type

Animal Bites - Microbiology and Management

Hand Infections

A 35-year-old woman presents to the emergency department 8 hours after being bitten on the hand by her cat while attempting to give it medication. She has two small puncture wounds over the MCP joint of her index finger with mild surrounding erythema. The finger is moderately swollen and painful on passive extension. She has a documented penicillin allergy (rash). Regarding animal bites to the hand:

Mark each as TRUE or FALSE

A

Cat bites have higher infection rates (30-50%) than dog bites (5-20%) because cat teeth create deep ...

B

Amoxicillin-clavulanate (Augmentin) is the antibiotic of choice for animal bites as it covers Pasteu...

C

Primary closure is recommended for all animal bites to reduce scarring; puncture wounds have low inf...

D

Puncture wounds should NEVER be closed primarily due to high infection risk; antibiotic prophylaxis ...

E

For penicillin-allergic patients, alternatives include doxycycline plus metronidazole or moxifloxaci...

Answer the questions to see explanations

Click T (True) or F (False) for each option