Cat bites pack a punch

SNAKE, dog and cat bites are responsible for the majority of hospitalisations for animal bites in tropical Queensland, a new study conducted by Cairns Hospital and the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney has found.

The study examined more than 1700 patients admitted to Cairns Hospital after an animal bite, sting or related injury.

“About half of all Australians will be bitten by an animal during their lifetime and animal bites often become infected,” said Dr John Vardanega, an infectious diseases registrar at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and the study’s first author.

Dr Vardanega said infection could lead to the loss of a limb or worse.

Surprisingly, cat bites are the most likely to become infected.