Citation

Erickson T, Vanden Hoek TL, Kuritza A, Leiken JB. Ann. Emerg. Med. 1992; 21(2): 212-216.

Affiliation

Toxikon Consortium, Section of Clinical Toxicology, Cook County Hospital and Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1992, American College of Emergency Physicians, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

1739216

Abstract

As human encounters with hazardous marine life increase, emergency physicians are more frequently confronted with the management of resultant injuries. We present three cases involving hand injuries inflected by moray eels. Each was managed with local wound care and subsequent outpatient treatment with either oral ciprofloxacin or cefuroxime. One patient had mild residual hand dysfunction, and no patient developed wound infection. To better assess the bacteriology of such injuries, oral cultures were taken from captive moray eels and surrounding aquarium water. Culture and sensitivity analyses showed Vibrio and Pseudomonas to be the predominant species, both sensitive to ciprofloxacin, cefuroxime, tetracycline, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. We conclude that moray eel bites can be managed successfully with aggressive, local wound care and antibiotic coverage that targets Vibrio and Pseudomonas species.

Language: en