Bitten by a Dragon

Stephen D. Ducey; Jeffrey S. Cooper; Michael C. Wadman

doi:10.1016/j.wem.2016.02.009

Bitten by a Dragon

Stephen D. Ducey, Jeffrey S. Cooper, Michael C. Wadman

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) are large lizards known to take down prey even larger than themselves. They rarely attack humans. A 38-year-old woman was bitten by a Komodo dragon on her hand while cleaning its enclosure. She was transiently hypotensive. The wounds were extensively cleaned, and she was started on prophylactic antibiotics. Her wounds healed without any infectious sequelae. Komodo dragon bites are historically thought to be highly infectious and venomous. Based on a literature review, neither of these are likely true. As in any bite, initial stabilization followed by wound management are the main components to therapy.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	291-293
Number of pages	3
Journal	Wilderness and Environmental Medicine
Volume	27
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wem.2016.02.009
State	Published - Jun 1 2016

Keywords

Komodo dragon
animal bite
envenomation
wound management

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Emergency Medicine
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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10.1016/j.wem.2016.02.009

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title = "Bitten by a Dragon",

abstract = "Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) are large lizards known to take down prey even larger than themselves. They rarely attack humans. A 38-year-old woman was bitten by a Komodo dragon on her hand while cleaning its enclosure. She was transiently hypotensive. The wounds were extensively cleaned, and she was started on prophylactic antibiotics. Her wounds healed without any infectious sequelae. Komodo dragon bites are historically thought to be highly infectious and venomous. Based on a literature review, neither of these are likely true. As in any bite, initial stabilization followed by wound management are the main components to therapy.",

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AU - Cooper, Jeffrey S.

AU - Wadman, Michael C.

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AB - Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) are large lizards known to take down prey even larger than themselves. They rarely attack humans. A 38-year-old woman was bitten by a Komodo dragon on her hand while cleaning its enclosure. She was transiently hypotensive. The wounds were extensively cleaned, and she was started on prophylactic antibiotics. Her wounds healed without any infectious sequelae. Komodo dragon bites are historically thought to be highly infectious and venomous. Based on a literature review, neither of these are likely true. As in any bite, initial stabilization followed by wound management are the main components to therapy.

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KW - envenomation

KW - wound management

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Bitten by a Dragon

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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