Quokka bites. The first report of bites from an Australian marsupial.
case_series · Level IV
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 1453997.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the incidence and natural history of bites from the quokka, a small wallaby. DESIGN: A prospective case series. SETTING: Rottnest Island Nursing Post, a small hospital staffed by registered nurses on call 24 hours a day, located on Rottnest Island 18 km off the coast of Western Australia near Perth. PATIENTS: All patients presenting after a bite from a quokka. RESULTS: Seventy-two patients (30 males and 42 females) presented after a bite. All but two patients were patting or feeding a quokka at the time of being bitten, and all but two were bitten on a finger or the thumb. Sixty-one per cent of patients were followed up; all wounds healed without complications. No wound pathogens were cultured from either wound swabs or swabs of the mouths of quokkas. CONCLUSIONS: Bites from quokkas heal without complications, usually in two to three weeks. Simple first aid and tetanus prophylaxis where appropriate are all that is required. Antibiotics are not indicated.