The Incidence of Infection Complicating Snakebites in Tropical Australia: Implications for Clinical Management and Antimicrobial Prophylaxis
Objective. To define the incidence of infection following snakebite in tropical Australia and the resulting implications for the routine prescription of prophylactic antibiotics. Methods. A retrospective study of all individuals presenting to Cairns Hospital, a tertiary referral hospital in tropical...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Tropical Medicine |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/5812766 |
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| author | Laura K. Smith John Vardanega Simon Smith Julian White Mark Little Josh Hanson |
| author_facet | Laura K. Smith John Vardanega Simon Smith Julian White Mark Little Josh Hanson |
| author_sort | Laura K. Smith |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective. To define the incidence of infection following snakebite in tropical Australia and the resulting implications for the routine prescription of prophylactic antibiotics. Methods. A retrospective study of all individuals presenting to Cairns Hospital, a tertiary referral hospital in tropical Australia, after a snakebite between December 2013 and October 2020. Results. There were 732 hospitalisations, 720 (98.4%) patients presented within 8 hours of the snakebite, and 29/732 (4.0%) were envenomated. Envenomated patients were more likely to receive empirical antibiotics than nonenvenomated patients (8/29 (27.6%) versus 14/703 (2.0%), p<0.001), although this was frequently as a bundle of care for critically ill individuals. Superficial skin infection was diagnosed by clinicians in 6/732 (0.8%) patients during their hospitalisation; infection was diagnosed more commonly in envenomated than in nonenvenomated patients (3/29 (10.3%) versus 3/703 (0.4%), p=0.001). All 3 envenomated individuals diagnosed with infection were believed to have taipan (genus Oxyuranus) bites. Five (83%) of the six patients diagnosed with infection had received empirical antibiotics at presentation; only 1/710 (0.1%) patients who received no antibiotics developed a (superficial) infection. Conclusion. Infection is a very uncommon complication of snakebite in tropical Australia. Individuals bitten by snakes in tropical Australia should not routinely receive antibiotic prophylaxis. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0f47ed6335484fdeac7978c93f45c18b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1687-9694 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Tropical Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-0f47ed6335484fdeac7978c93f45c18b2025-02-03T05:57:01ZengWileyJournal of Tropical Medicine1687-96942023-01-01202310.1155/2023/5812766The Incidence of Infection Complicating Snakebites in Tropical Australia: Implications for Clinical Management and Antimicrobial ProphylaxisLaura K. Smith0John Vardanega1Simon Smith2Julian White3Mark Little4Josh Hanson5Cairns HospitalCairns HospitalCairns HospitalWomen’s and Children’s HospitalCairns HospitalCairns HospitalObjective. To define the incidence of infection following snakebite in tropical Australia and the resulting implications for the routine prescription of prophylactic antibiotics. Methods. A retrospective study of all individuals presenting to Cairns Hospital, a tertiary referral hospital in tropical Australia, after a snakebite between December 2013 and October 2020. Results. There were 732 hospitalisations, 720 (98.4%) patients presented within 8 hours of the snakebite, and 29/732 (4.0%) were envenomated. Envenomated patients were more likely to receive empirical antibiotics than nonenvenomated patients (8/29 (27.6%) versus 14/703 (2.0%), p<0.001), although this was frequently as a bundle of care for critically ill individuals. Superficial skin infection was diagnosed by clinicians in 6/732 (0.8%) patients during their hospitalisation; infection was diagnosed more commonly in envenomated than in nonenvenomated patients (3/29 (10.3%) versus 3/703 (0.4%), p=0.001). All 3 envenomated individuals diagnosed with infection were believed to have taipan (genus Oxyuranus) bites. Five (83%) of the six patients diagnosed with infection had received empirical antibiotics at presentation; only 1/710 (0.1%) patients who received no antibiotics developed a (superficial) infection. Conclusion. Infection is a very uncommon complication of snakebite in tropical Australia. Individuals bitten by snakes in tropical Australia should not routinely receive antibiotic prophylaxis.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/5812766 |
| spellingShingle | Laura K. Smith John Vardanega Simon Smith Julian White Mark Little Josh Hanson The Incidence of Infection Complicating Snakebites in Tropical Australia: Implications for Clinical Management and Antimicrobial Prophylaxis Journal of Tropical Medicine |
| title | The Incidence of Infection Complicating Snakebites in Tropical Australia: Implications for Clinical Management and Antimicrobial Prophylaxis |
| title_full | The Incidence of Infection Complicating Snakebites in Tropical Australia: Implications for Clinical Management and Antimicrobial Prophylaxis |
| title_fullStr | The Incidence of Infection Complicating Snakebites in Tropical Australia: Implications for Clinical Management and Antimicrobial Prophylaxis |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Incidence of Infection Complicating Snakebites in Tropical Australia: Implications for Clinical Management and Antimicrobial Prophylaxis |
| title_short | The Incidence of Infection Complicating Snakebites in Tropical Australia: Implications for Clinical Management and Antimicrobial Prophylaxis |
| title_sort | incidence of infection complicating snakebites in tropical australia implications for clinical management and antimicrobial prophylaxis |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/5812766 |
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