1941 poster for the Cleveland Division of Health encouraging dog bite victims to report dog bites to the proper authorities

Animal attacks are violent attacks caused by non-human animals against humans, one of the most common being bites. These attacks are a cause of human injuries and fatalities worldwide.[1] According to the 2012 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook, 56% of United States citizens owned a pet.[2] In the United States in 1994, approximately 4.7 million people were bitten by dogs.[3] The frequency of animal attacks varies with geographical location, as well as hormonal secretion. Gonad glands found on the anterior side of the pituitary gland secrete androgens and estrogens hormones. Animals with high levels of these hormones, which depending on the species can be a seasonal occurrence, such as during rutting season, tend to be more aggressive, which leads to a higher frequency of attacks not only to humans but among themselves.[4] In the United States, a person is more likely to be killed by a domesticated dog than they are to die from being hit by lightning according to the National Safety Council.[5]

Animal attacks have been identified as a major public health problem. In 1997, it was estimated that up to 2 million animal bites occur each year in the United States.[6] Injuries caused by animal attacks result in thousands of fatalities worldwide every year.[7] "Unprovoked attacks occur when the animal approaches and attacks a person(s) who is the principal attractant, for example, predation on humans ..."[8][9] All causes of death are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention each year. Medical injury codes are used to identify specific cases.[6] The World Health Organization uses identical coding, though it is unclear whether all countries keep track of animal-related fatalities. Though animals, excluding some tigers, do not regularly hunt humans, there is concern that these incidents are "bad for many species 'public image'."

Epidemiology and injuries

Animal bites are the most common form of injury from animal attacks. The U.S. estimated annual count of animal bites is 250,000 human bites, 1 to 2 million dog bites, 400,000 cat bites, and 45,000 bites from snakes.[2] Bites from skunks, horses, squirrels, rats, rabbits, pigs, and monkeys may be up to one percent of bite injuries. Unprovoked pet ferret attacks have caused serious facial injuries. Non-domesticated animals, although assumed to be more common, especially as a cause of rabies infection, make up less than one percent of reported bite wounds. Bites to the right arm are the most likely due to defensive reactions when the victim uses their dominant arm. The most common location for fatal bites is on the individual's head.[10] It is estimated that three-quarters of bites to humans are to the arms or legs. Bites to the face constitute only ten percent of total bites. Children aged ten and younger suffer two-thirds of reported bite injuries. Bite injuries are often the result of an animal attack, including instances when a human attacks another human. Human bites are the third most frequent type of bite after dog and cat bites.[11] Dog bites are commonplace, with children the most frequently bitten and the face and scalp the most common targets.[12]

Infections

Animal bites carry an increased risk of infection due to their exposure to rabies and different bacteria that animals have in their oral cavity. Microbiological studies are carried out to determine some of these infections. Frequently these infections are polymicrobial with different mixtures of aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms. Some of the bacteria identified by the remains that are maintained in the bites and by exposure to other variables and change of physical environment are: Pasturella spp., Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Moraxella, Corynebacterium, Neisseria, Fusobacterium, Bacteroides, Posphuomonoa, Capnocytophaga canimorsus, and Prevotella.[13]

Treatments

Treatment for those who have been attacked depends on the injuries. Though trauma may be addressed first, subsequent infections are also treated with appropriate antibiotics.[11] The use of prophylactic antibiotics can significantly reduce the risk of a serious infection in the lesion.[14] It is important to visit a doctor if the bite is severe. Up to three-quarters of dog bites happen to those younger than 20 years old. In the United States, the costs associated with dog bites are estimated at over $1 billion annually. The age groups that suffer most from dog bites are children 5 to 9 years old. Often bites go unreported and receive no medical treatment. Up to one percent of pediatric emergency room visits are for animal bites. This is more frequent during the summer months. Up to five percent of children receiving emergency care for dog bites are hospitalized. Bites typically occur in the late afternoon and early evening. Girls are bitten more frequently by cats than by dogs, while boys are bitten by dogs two times more often than are girls.[11] To prevent serious and even fatal infections, rabies vaccines for both humans and non-human animals are recommended, even if the person is not directly exposed to the infection. In addition, it is essential to know and consider the probability of transmission, the animal that caused the bite, the type and severity of the injury, and the age and overall health of the victim. In 1936, amputation was required in a third of cases in which treatment was delayed for 24 hours or longer.[11]

Medical codes for animal attacks

Injuries resulting from encounters with animals occur with sufficient frequency to require the use of medical codes by clinicians and insurance companies to document such encounters. The ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Codes are used for the purpose of clearly identifying diseases, their causes, injuries in the United States. Clinicians use these codes to quantify the medical condition and its causes and to bill insurance companies for the treatment required as a result of encounters with animals.

Code Description
W53 Contact with rodent
W54 Contact with dog
W55 Contact with other mammals
W56 Contact with non-venomous marine animal
W57 Bitten or stung by non-venomous insect and other non-venomous arthropods
W58 Contact with crocodile or alligator
W59 Contact with other non-venomous reptiles
W61 Contact with birds (domestic) (wild)
W62 Contact with non-venomous amphibians
Reference:[15]

Notable deaths

Year Name Age Details
1920 King Alexander of Greece Greece 27 years Monkey bite
1980 Azaria Chamberlain Australia 2 months Attacked by a dingo[16]
1994 Allen Campbell United States 37 years Crushed by circus elephant Tyke
2003 Timothy Treadwell United States 46 years Devoured by a bear[17]
2003 Vitaly Nikolayenko Russia 65 years Mauled by a bear[18]
2006 Richard Root United States 68 years Killed by a crocodile
2006 Steve Irwin Australia 44 years Killed by a stingray during a diving expedition[19]
2006 Ali Khan Samsudin Malaysia 48 years Bitten by a king cobra[20]
2007 Surinder Singh Bajwa India 44 years Attacked by a group of rhesus macaques at his home and fell from a first-floor balcony
2009 Taylor Mitchell Canada 19 years Coyote attack[21]
2010 Dawn Brancheau United States 40 years Killed by orca Tilikum
2011 Horatio Chapple United Kingdom 17 years[22] Killed by a polar bear on an Arctic expedition

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Animal bites". World Health Organization. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 Bula-Rudas, Fernando J.; Olcott, Jessica L. (1 October 2018). "Human and Animal Bites". Pediatrics in Review. 39 (10): 490–500. doi:10.1542/pir.2017-0212. ISSN 0191-9601. PMID 30275032. S2CID 52898850.
  3. ↑ "Dog-Bite-Related Fatalities -- United States, 1995-1996". CDC. U.S. Center for Disease Control. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  4. ↑ Svare, Bruce B. (7 March 2013). Hormones and Aggressive Behavior. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-1-4613-3521-4.
  5. ↑ "Injury Facts Chart". National Safety Council. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  6. 1 2 Langley, Ricky L.; Morrow, William E. (1997). "Deaths resulting from animal attacks in the United States". Wilderness and Environmental Medicine. 8 (1): 8–16. doi:10.1580/1080-6032(1997)008[0008:drfaai]2.3.co;2. PMID 11990139.
  7. ↑ Warrell, D.A. (1993). "Venomous bites and stings in the tropical world". Medical Journal of Australia. 159 (11–12): 773–779. doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.1993.tb141345.x. PMID 8264466. S2CID 36567559.
  8. ↑ Angelici, Francesco (2016). Problematic Wildlife: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach. Cham: Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-22246-2.
  9. ↑ "Animal bites". World Health Organization. February 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  10. ↑ Clark, Michael A.; Sandusky, George E.; Hawley, Dean A.; Pless, John E.; Fardal, Patrick M.; Tate, Larry R. (1 July 1991). "Fatal and Near-Fatal Animal Bite Injuries". Journal of Forensic Sciences. 36 (4): 1256–61. doi:10.1520/jfs13146j. ISSN 0022-1198. PMID 1919485.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Cherry, James (2014). Feigin and Cherry's Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Diseases – Animal and Human Bites, Morven S. Edwards. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier/Saunders. ISBN 978-1-4557-1177-2; Access provided by the University of Pittsburgh{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  12. ↑ Chen, Henry; Neumeier, Anna; Davies, Brett; Durairaj, Vikram (3 September 2013). "Analysis of Pediatric Facial Dog Bites". Craniomaxillofacial Trauma and Reconstruction. 6 (4): 225–232. doi:10.1055/s-0033-1349211. PMC 3820741. PMID 24436765.
  13. ↑ Goldstein, E J; Citron, D M (1 August 1988). "Comparative activities of cefuroxime, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ciprofloxacin, enoxacin, and ofloxacin against aerobic and anaerobic bacteria isolated from bite wounds". Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 32 (8): 1143–1148. doi:10.1128/aac.32.8.1143. ISSN 0066-4804. PMC 172366. PMID 3190202.
  14. ↑ Boat, Barbara W. (2019). "Dog Bites to Children: Family Interventions and Prevention Strategies". Clinician's Guide to Treating Companion Animal Issues. Elsevier. pp. 35–46. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-812962-3.00003-4. ISBN 978-0-12-812962-3. S2CID 149938544. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  15. ↑ "Exposure to animate mechanical forces, W50-W64". ICD-10 Version:2015. World Health Organization. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  16. ↑ Cunneen, Chris. "Chamberlain, Azaria Chantel (1980–1980)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  17. ↑ Katie Serena (13 April 2018). "Timothy Treadwell Devoted His Life To Grizzly Bears — Until They Ate Him". All That's Interesting. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  18. ↑ Kim Murphy (1 January 2004). "Russian bear researcher dies in apparent mauling". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  19. ↑ "Steve Irwin". Biography. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  20. ↑ Sebastien Berger (4 December 2006). "Snake man dies from cobra bite". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  21. ↑ "Emily Mitchell Commemorates Life of Songbird Daughter". Taylor Mitchell. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  22. ↑ Steven Morris (18 July 2014). "Horatio Chapple death: explorers' attempts to fight off polar bear attack". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2019.

Further reading

  • Anderson, Knenneth, et al., "The Man-Eater of Jowlagiri", from Nine Man-Eaters and One Rogue, 1955
  • Anitei, Stefan. "The Limits of the Human Nose: How much can a human smell?" Softpedia. 22 January 2007. 17 November 2008.
  • Batin, Christopher. "Bear Attacks!" Outdoor Life 210.6 (2003): 46.
  • Brandt, Anthony. "Attack". Outdoor Life 197.1 (1996): 52.
  • Cardall, Taylor Y. and Peter Rosen. "Grizzly Bear Attack". The Journal of Emergency Medicine 24.3 (2003): 331–333.
  • Driscoll, Jamus. "Bears on the Rampage". Outdoor Life 197.2 (1996): 20.
  • Egerton, L. ed. 2005. Encyclopedia of Australian wildlife. Reader's Digest ISBN 1-876689-34-X
  • Fergus, Charles. Wild Guide: Bears. Mechanicsburg, PA; Stackpole Books, 2005.
  • Guo, Shuzhong, et al., "Human facial allotransplantation: a 2-year follow-up study". The Lancet 372.9639 (2008): 631–638.
  • Masterson, Linda. Living with Bears. Masonville, CO; PixyJack Press, LLC, 2006.
  • Linnell, John D.C., et al.,The Fear of Wolves – review of wolf attacks on humans
  • Ward, Paul and Suzanne Kynaston. Wild Bears of the World. United Kingdom: Cassell plc, 1995
  • Whitman, David. "The Return of the Grizzly". Atlantic Monthly 286.3 (2000): 26–31.
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