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Antibiotic prophylaxis for mammalian bites.

I Medeiros1, H Saconato

  • 1Infectious Diseases Department, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Rua Moraes Navarro, 2082 Ed. Vermont - Apartment 800, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, 59075-770. imm@ufrnet.br

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|June 19, 2001
PubMed
Summary

Prophylactic antibiotics may reduce infection from human bites, especially on the hand, but are not effective for dog or cat bites. Further research is needed to confirm these findings for human bites and hand injuries.

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Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health
  • Emergency Medicine

Background:

  • Mammalian bites are frequent, leading to emergency room visits, with children disproportionately affected.
  • Key concerns include preventing tetanus, rabies, and wound infections.
  • Antibiotic prophylaxis is considered to mitigate the risk of post-bite infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of prophylactic antibiotics in preventing infections following mammalian bites.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) identified through comprehensive database searches (MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, Cochrane).
  • Included studies involved patients with mammalian bites, comparing antibiotic treatment against placebo or no intervention.
  • Infection at the bite site was the primary outcome, with data extracted independently and analyzed using the intention-to-treat method.

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Main Results:

  • Eight RCTs were included in the analysis.
  • Prophylactic antibiotics significantly reduced infection rates for human bites.
  • No significant reduction in infection rates was observed for cat or dog bites.
  • A significant reduction in infection was noted for hand bites (NNT = 4).

Conclusions:

  • Evidence suggests prophylactic antibiotics are effective in preventing infections from human bites, though more research is required.
  • Current evidence does not support the use of prophylactic antibiotics for cat or dog bites.
  • Antibiotic prophylaxis for hand bites shows promise in reducing infection, but requires further confirmation.