Animal attack

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1941 poster for the Cleveland Division of Health encouraging dog bite victims to report dog bites to the proper authorities Report dog bites LCCN93511152.tif
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 androgen and estrogen 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]

Contents

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 often 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.[ citation needed ] 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.

CodeDescription
W53Contact with rodent
W54Contact with dog
W55Contact with other mammals
W56Contact with non-venomous marine animal
W57Bitten or stung by non-venomous insect and other non-venomous arthropods
W58Contact with crocodile or alligator
W59Contact with other non-venomous reptiles
W61Contact with birds (domestic) (wild)
W62Contact with non-venomous amphibians
Reference: [15]

Notable deaths

YearNameAgeDetails
ca 1000 BC Parikshit n.a.Bit by a snake
30 BC Cleopatra 39 yearsBit by a snake (suicide)
519 Conleth ~60 yearsKilled by wolves
912 Oleg the Wise n.a.Bit by a snake
ca 1500 Lakṣmīpriyā n.a.Bit by a snake
1528 Tenali Rama 47 yearsBit by a snake
1582Crocodiles in Pskov variousA number of crocodiles escaped from captivity to a local river, then reportedly attacked and devoured many city residents [16]
1787 Two-Headed Boy of Bengal 4 yearsBit by a snake
1852 HMS Birkenhead variousHundreds of sharks attacked sinking ship sailors. A few hundred men were killed
1898 Lions of Tsavo variousA pair of lions attacked rail workers' camps for months. Killed 30-125 men
1913 Carl Hagenbeck 57 yearsBit by a snake
1920 King Alexander of Greece Flag of Greece.svg 27 years Monkey bite
1932 Bill Pickett 61 yearskilled by a horse kick
1942 USS Juneau variousSharks attacked sinking ship sailors, including remaining Sullivan brothers
1945 USS Indianapolis variousHundreds of sharks attacked sinking ship sailors. A few dozen to 150 men were killed
1945 Battle of Ramree Island variousNumber of saltwater crocodiles attacked retreating Japanese soldiers. A few to hundreds were killed
1948 Grace Olive Wiley 65 yearsBitten by a snake
1950 Kevin Budden 20 yearsBitten by a taipan snake
1955 George Hensley 74 yearsBit by a snake
1957 Karl Patterson Schmidt 67 yearsBit by a snake
1975 Robert Mertens 81 yearsBit by a snake
1980 Azaria Chamberlain Flag of Australia (converted).svg 2 monthsAttacked by a dingo [17]
1982 Jean Batten 73 yearsInfection from a dog bite
1993 John Pickard 80 yearskilled by a bull on his family farm
1994 Allen Campbell Flag of the United States.svg 37 yearsCrushed by circus elephant Tyke
1994 Rick Lomba 44 yearsAttacked by Bengal Tiger
2001 Joseph Bruno Slowinski 38 yearsBitten by a Suzhen's krait
2001 Diane Whipple 33 yearsAttacked by 2 dogs
2001 Jacky Boxberger 51 yearsAttacked by an elephant on a safari
2003 Timothy Treadwell Flag of the United States.svg 46 yearsDevoured by a bear [18]
2003 Vitaly Nikolayenko Flag of Russia.svg 65 yearsMauled by a bear [19]
2004 Boonreung Buachan 35 yearsBit by a cobra during a show
2005 Kenton Joel Carnegie 22 yearsKilled by wolves
2006 Richard Root Flag of the United States.svg 68 yearsKilled by a crocodile
2006 Steve Irwin Flag of Australia (converted).svg 44 yearsKilled by a stingray during a diving expedition [20]
2006 Ali Khan Samsudin Flag of Malaysia.svg 48 yearsBitten by a king cobra [21]
2007 Surinder Singh Bajwa Flag of India.svg 44 yearsAttacked by a group of rhesus macaques at his home and fell from a first-floor balcony
2008 Stephan Miller 39 yearskilled by a bear while making a promotional video
2009 Alexis Martínez 29 yearskilled by an orca (named Keto) in an aquarium
2009 Taylor Mitchell Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg 19 years Coyote attack [22]
2010 Dawn Brancheau Flag of the United States.svg 40 yearsKilled by orca Tilikum
2011 Horatio Chapple Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 17 years [23] Killed by a polar bear on an Arctic expedition
2011 Mathieu Schiller 32 yearsKilled by a shark
2013 Noah and Connor Barthe 4 & 6 yearsStrangled by a friend's father's pet African rock python
2014 Jamie Coots 42 yearsBit by a rattlesnake
2015 Katherine Chappell 29 yearsKilled by a lioness while visiting a park
2017 Akbar Salubiro 25 yearsKilled and swallowed by a reticulated python

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
  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. Pskov chronicles for 1582 contain such paragraph: "In the year 7090 [1582] ... That same year, crocodiles, fierce beasts, came from the [ Velikaya ] river, and coming across, devoured many people. People got frightened, and prayed to God across the land. Some went into hiding for a while, some were killed." Original text (Russian): «Того ж лета изыдоша коркодили лютии звери из реки, и путь затвориша, людей много поядоша. И ужасошася людие и молиша бога по всей земли. И паки спряташася, а иних избиша.…». Cited in Pskov Chronicles,1955, Vol. 2, P. 262, and in the Complete Collection of Russian Chronicles , 1841, Vol. 3, P. 320.
  17. Cunneen, Chris. "Chamberlain, Azaria Chantel (1980–1980)". Australian Dictionary of Biography . National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN   978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN   1833-7538. OCLC   70677943 . Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  18. 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.
  19. Kim Murphy (1 January 2004). "Russian bear researcher dies in apparent mauling". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  20. "Steve Irwin". Biography . Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  21. Sebastien Berger (4 December 2006). "Snake man dies from cobra bite". The Telegraph . Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  22. "Emily Mitchell Commemorates Life of Songbird Daughter". Taylor Mitchell. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  23. Steven Morris (18 July 2014). "Horatio Chapple death: explorers' attempts to fight off polar bear attack". The Guardian . Retrieved 21 October 2019.

Further reading