Swine bites of the hand

Severe infections of the hand may follow bites by swine who carry a wide range of gram-negative and gram-positive flora. Early treatment must be primarily surgical, with prompt and thorough wound cleansing, superficial and deep debridement of the wound, drainage, and delayed closure of wounds only after cultures show no bacterial growth. Appropriate antibiotics are especially important with local or systemic symptoms of infection, as well as prophylactically. An illustrative case is presented.