Microbiological studies of abscesses complicating Bothrops snakebite in humans: a prospective study

Forty patients with abscesses at the site of Bothrops bite were evaluated. Ten brought the snake responsible for the bite, Bothrops jararaca in all cases. On admission a sample was collected from each case for aerobic and anaerobic culture, and no abscesses drained spontaneously. None of the patients had received antibacterial therapy at this time. The bacteria most frequently isolated were Morganella morganii (23 patients), Providencia rettgeri (7) Enterobacter sp. (4), Escherichia coli (3), group D streptococcus (11) and Bacteroides sp. (6). All enterobacteria tested were sensitive to chloramphenicol, aminoglycosides and cefotaxime. Group D streptococci were sensitive to chloramphenicol, ampicillin and penicillin G, whereas anaerobic bacteria were sensitive to chloramphenicol and tetracycline. These results suggest that in cases of abscess formation secondary to Bothrops bite, chloramphenicol alone is a good choice, being both safe and cheap.