A survey of animal bites on humans in Bursa, Turkey

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Date

2012

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Elsevier

Abstract

Animal bites are a major public health problem. The aim of this study was to conduct a survey of animal bites in Bursa, Turkey. Patients who sought medical care for animal bites over an 18-month period were included in our study (n = 1,715). Data were obtained from the registry of the Bursa State Hospital; 71.84% of the patients were men and 28.16% were women. Bites were most frequent among patients who were > 18 years of age (comprising 60.83% of all bites). The anatomical site of the bite was recorded in all 1,715 cases, and 1,778 bite locations on the body were reported. The upper extremities were the most frequent sites of animal bites (53.83%), followed by the lower extremities (38.03%). Bites were most frequently inflicted by dogs (68.04%), followed by cats (28.45%), mice (2.56%), and other animals (hamsters, donkeys, horses, foxes, and rabbits together comprised 0.95% of the bites). As a result, bite incidents were mostly associated with males aged > 18 years and occurred in the upper extremities. This study showed that dog bites constitute a major animal bite problem in Bursa, Turkey.

Description

Keywords

Behavioral sciences, Veterinary sciences, Animal bite, Dog, Epidemiology, Public health, Children, Bite location, Dog bites, Injuries, Rabies, Victims, Animalia, Canidae, Canis familiaris, Cricetinae, Equidae, Equus asinus, Mus, Oryctolagus cuniculus

Citation

Yalçın, E. vd. (2012). "A survey of animal bites on humans in Bursa, Turkey". Journal of Veterinary Behavior-Clinical Applications and Research, 7(4), 233-237.