Bites and Stings

Bites and stings can range from mild to extremely serious and even fatal. Animal bites can cause serious infections, and many can be avoided. Never tease, provoke or surprise an animal. Insect stings usually cause only local reactions, such as redness and swelling, but they can be life-threatening if the person is allergic to the insect’s venom.

Animal Bites

If an animal bites you, clean the wound with a solution of one percent povidone iodine or with soap and running water for at least five minutes or more to wash out any contamination. Do not put any medication or antiseptics in the wound. Put a sterile bandage or clean, dry cloth over the wound. If it is bleeding, apply pressure to the wound for five minutes or until the bleeding stops. Seek medical attention, particularly if the bite is on the face, neck or hands, where it can become infected.

About one half of all cat bites cause infection. If skin tissue, such as part of an ear or a nose, is bitten off, take the skin with you to the doctor’s office or hospital. If the animal that has bitten you is suspected of having rabies, notify the local police, health department, or animal warden so that the animal can be observed and evaluated for rabies.

Human Bites

Any human bite that breaks the skin needs immediate medical attention since infection from bacteria or viruses may contaminate the wound, leading to serious infections. As with animal bites, human bites should be washed thoroughly for five minutes or more to wash out any contaminants. Do not put medication or antiseptic in the wound, which should be bandaged with a clean, dry cloth. Medical help should be sought promptly.

Insect Bites and Stings

Most insect bites cause local reactions, such as redness and swelling, but some can be life-threatening if the person is allergic to the insect’s venom. Stings from insects, such as bees, hornets and wasps, can also cause pain, itching and burning. If the insect has left a stinger inside your skin, carefully remove it by gently scraping the skin with a dull knife blade, the edge of a credit card or your fingernail. Do not use tweezers because this may cause more venom to enter your body. The area should be washed with soap and water, and you should place a cold compress on the sting and take an oral antihistamine to help ease symptoms.

Rarely, an allergic reaction to insect stings can be life-threatening. Anaphylactic shock is a total body allergic reaction. Call 911 for help or get the person or yourself to the closest emergency department if the reaction is severe (including difficulty breathing, hives, swelling of the lips or tongue, weakness, or dizziness).

Spider Bites

Black widow spider bites can be harmful to young children, elderly people and chronically ill people. The bite can cause redness and swelling and pinpricklike pain followed by a dull ache in 20 to 40 minutes. Profuse sweating, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, rigid back and abdomen, difficulty breathing, weakness and swelling at the site may also be present.

The brown recluse spider causes similar redness and pain at the bite site (and occasionally a small blister), but also destroys tissue, causing a skin ulcer. Mild fever, muscle aches and joint pains may develop within three days. Call 911 or take the person to the nearest hospital for immediate evaluation and care.

Tarantula bites are not usually as serious as those of the black widow spider or the brown recluse spider. Symptoms include severe itching, mild pain at the site of the bite, and a severe, painful wound a few days after the bite. If you are bitten, pull off the spider hairs with adhesive or cellophane tape, wash the area with soap and water, and place ice wrapped in a cloth on the bite area. Elevate the affected part of the body above the level of the heart, and take an oral antihistamine or a pain reliever.

Tick Bites

Ticks can transmit disease-causing organisms from animals to people. The greatest risk for tick bites is May through August. A tick should be removed from the skin very carefully, preferably while wearing rubber gloves. Use tweezers to grasp the tick’s head and mouth and pull it out gently but firmly so it stays in one piece. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water, and see your doctor. Your doctor may do a blood test to see if you have a Lyme disease infection and to offer follow-up care when appropriate.

Excerpted from: Complete Medical Encyclopedia, American Medical Association, 2003.