Human Bite? how infectious is it?

I had a human bite from a friendly brawl (fight) with my friend over the right ribs. there was some blood (may be 2 drops) and two marks of bite ie teeth, but after 12 hours now there is no swelling, but light pain.


do i need to go to doctor, will it turn into infection. Do i need tetanus shot?





and the teeth did not come in direct contact with my skin. I had my cotton polo shirt so i guess its not that serious as there is no direct contact with the teeth which can have bacteria to cause infecitons.





What are your thoughts ??

Human Bite? how infectious is it?
Well, as long as he's not a zombie I would think you'd be okay. OR a vampire, but then again he probably would have bitten your neck.
Reply:just put neospourin on it and keep it washed. IF it does become irritated and red then yes it is infected and then you will need to go see the doctors. Just keep the neospourin on it and keep it clean you should be fine but again if it become irritated and red then go see the doc
Reply:Of all the possible bites without venom, the human


bite is the worst for infections.





But there's little you can innoculate against.





Considering the teeth didn't come into contact with the skin


and there was probably no saliva in the wound ... you're


probably OK.





Any topical germ annoyer (as above, Neosporin is pretty good)


would be fine.





By the way, its not that the human mouth is dirtier


than others ... its that the bacteria that live in it have


already proven that they can thrive in a human.





That is, the percentage of bacteria that will survive


the transfer from his mouth to your skin is VERY high


in comparison to another animal.





You might ask your friend to see his rabies tag. The state


clearly should require that he have one...
Reply:A human bite is generally obvious, but on occasion the victim is unaware (for example, the bite occurred while the victim was drunk) or reluctant to tell others (a teenager who was in a fight is one example). Be careful about ignoring cuts over the knuckles if there is the chance this happened in a fight. Otherwise, the 2 most important things to know about a bite are whether there is a skin break or signs of infection.











Signs of a skin break








A skin break increases the risk of infection and makes it necessary to be sure tetanus shots are up-to-date. A skin break is often obvious but can be tough to tell in some cases. Anything that looks like the top layer of skin has come off should be considered a skin break. When in doubt, seek a doctor's opinion. A raw appearance to the area or the oozing of clear fluid are signs of a skin break.











Signs of infection (note that infection can occur even in properly treated bites)








Increasing pain and tenderness: Although all bites hurt initially, the pain usually gets steadily better. If a bite begins to hurt more, this can be the first sign of infection. Increased pain from an infection is usually matched by increased tenderness when the area of the bite is touched. Typically, this begins 1-2 days after the bite but can occur even later with deeper infections.








Increased or new redness: Some color changes can be expected at the beginning, particularly bruising and some redness, but this usually does not get much worse after the first few hours. An increase in redness is a warning sign of infection.








Increased swelling: Some swelling is expected initially, but this usually peaks in the first day. If the bite swells up more after the first day, it may be a sign of infection.








Fever: A new fever in someone with a bite should be cause for worry. However, waiting for a fever to convince yourself there is an infection is also wrong. Most people with human bite infections do not get a fever until late. If the area around the bite itself feels very warm, even if there is no actual rise in the whole body temperature, this could mean an infection, also.








Pus drainage: Pus is yellow and will generally be a late sign of infection. This drainage needs to be distinguished from clear oozing that can occur during the first few hours if the skin is scraped by teeth. This clear oozing is not a sign of infection.








Red streaks: When you can see thin red streaks running toward the center of the body from a wound, infection is usually present. This condition is sometimes called blood poisoning (the medical term is lymphangitis), even though this has nothing to do with the bloodstream. What is happening is an inflammation of the lymph vessels, part of the body's defense system against infection that includes the lymph glands or nodes.








Swollen glands: These may occur in areas near the bite as the lymph glands react to protect the body. For example, if a hand is infected, you may feel sore, swollen glands on the inside of the elbow or armpit of the same arm as the bite.


hope this helps you out.%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;
Reply:if the bite really is that small, I'd just peroxide it, neosporin it, and keep a close eye on it. the human bite is most infectious, though, dirtier than most wild/domesticated animals out there. much more bacteria
Reply:really i hope you washed it out with peroxide it doesn't sound too serious so watch it and keep it covered and put neosporin on it to keep it clean
Reply:If the second party's blood got into your blood system you could be at risk of HIV, AIDS or Hepatitis C.





Saliva doesn't usually transfer infectious disease. In fact.. If he broke your skin and blood was transfered from you to him, the only one at a risk is him!!





Don't be such a wussy! The dude bit you, I've known guys who got stabbed and refused to go to the doctors..
Reply:you are not going to die from a human bite.... especially if it was through your shirt. you will be fine. I got bit so bad once by someone I was working with that it was swollen and bruised. I survived.
Reply:Or humans are extremely poisonous dont you know?!?!





Your fine.
Reply:Human bites are potentially very infetious. Keep the area clean and apply some antispetic cream.I suggest you have a word with your doc if the area is hot and goes red.



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