Symptoms of tetanus in humans after a dog bite

According to Rospotrebnadzor, about 380-450 thousand people suffer from animal attacks (usually dogs) in Russia every year. The consequences of dog bites can range from minor to very serious, even fatal.

How to behave correctly with an attacking dog and how to treat the wound, says clinical pharmacology doctor at the Chekhov Regional Hospital, Candidate of Medical Sciences Andrey Kondrakhin .

It is best, of course, to try to avoid any unpleasant incidents with animals. Do not approach or pet a stray animal. For all its cuteness, it can be sick. If where you live there have already been cases of attacks by stray animals, you need to report this to the management company or the local police officer in your home or area. If you travel outside the city, be sure to vaccinate your pets against rabies. This is especially necessary to do if your four-legged friend periodically runs away from the territory of your site.

Features of the disease

Infectious infection with tetanus not only in humans, but also in animals, has been known since ancient times. In cases of gradual development of the virus in the victim’s body without medical counteraction to the process, in the vast majority of cases death occurs. The reason is the spread of the virus in the body, which is very resistant to many environmental factors.

The penetration of tetanus bacillus into the human body under favorable conditions leads to germination at the cellular level—the production of an exotoxin.

The consequence of the spread of the toxic substance is muscle paralysis, which leads to cardiac arrest and respiratory system disorders.

Mandatory tetanus vaccination for a dog bite increases the chances of a full recovery to 75%. Therapy gives a favorable prognosis if the patient promptly sought qualified help and did not deviate from the doctor’s recommendations.

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It is very important to identify the signs of infection at an early stage to stop its spread.

Deadly virus

The main thing when bitten by an animal is to find out whether it had rabies. This severe viral disease (if preventive measures are not taken in time) in 100% of cases ends in the death of the infected person. Therefore time is precious.

In the wild, the main sources of the rabies virus are foxes and raccoons. Less often - proteins. A wild animal infected with a deadly virus, as a rule, does not show any signs of pathology in the first days, but can attack a domestic cat or dog. This is how a dangerous virus is transmitted. When an animal becomes ill, its behavior may change dramatically. The animal becomes aggressive, its habits change. A characteristic sign is that at the beginning of the disease the animal hides, and when the disease has already developed, on the contrary, it tries to catch the eye in order to transmit the virus along the chain. The most unpleasant thing is that you can become infected not only through a bite, but also as a result of infected saliva coming into contact with a person’s skin. For example, contact with a rabid animal can end badly, even if the animal just licked you. The risk is higher if the skin has abrasions or scratches.

40 injections in the stomach? Myths and truth about rabies Read more

If the animal is small and can be caught, then, taking precautions, you need to catch it and take it to a veterinary clinic. There he will be tested, after which he will be quarantined. If the diagnosis of rabies is established, the victim will be prescribed a course of injections to prevent the development of the disease in him.

If you cannot identify the owner of the animal or you do not trust his information about whether the pet has rabies vaccinations, it is better to go to the emergency room and give yourself several injections of the vaccine. This is too big a threat to joke around with. Moreover, today, instead of 40 injections, only 6 injections of the vaccine are administered into the stomach: on days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 1 and 3 months after seeking help. The sooner you receive the first vaccine injection, the higher the likelihood of a successful outcome.

Developmental stages and symptoms

The causative agent of the disease enters the human body by contact, that is, through open wounds. The first signs of tetanus in adults after a bite from a cat, stray dog, or pig inevitably appear if the wound surface has not been treated in a timely manner and the person has not been vaccinated in a timely manner. Bacteria with animal saliva penetrate into the bloodstream. Torn tissue creates pockets - an anaerobic environment favorable for the proliferation of tetanus bacillus. The production of toxins starts, the disease enters the active phase.

Signs of tetanus after a dog bite may not appear for up to several months, which means that the amount of venom produced is not sufficient to cause significant disruption to the body. The duration of the incubation period depends on many factors, on average it lasts 1-2 weeks.

The rate of infection development is affected by:

• depth of the wound;
• location of the lesion;
• resources of the victim's body.

People with poor health who are often sick are more susceptible to rapid infection. Sometimes high intensity is recorded - 1-2 days, but more often there is a gradual increase in the pathological process over several months. The shorter the incubation period, the more severe the disease.

There are several periods of development of tetanus infection:

1. At an early stage, the primary signs are flu-like symptoms - general malaise, anxiety, headache and muscle pain, minor twitching of the area around the bite site. Increased nervousness and irritability appear.
2. The subsequent development of the disease is characterized by tension in the masticatory muscles and jaw spasms. The process proceeds symmetrically. At the site of the wound, the area of ​​muscle tension expands. The main clinical syndrome is twitching of the facial muscles, similar to a nervous tic. Against the background of injuries and bites, this is a very alarming signal that requires urgent medical attention.
3. The acute phase of the disease lasts 7-12 days, and is especially difficult in individuals who are not protected by anti-tetanus serum. The corners of the mouth are noticeably drooping on the face, which reflects muscle spasm, and increased salivation occurs. Tetanus after a dog bite manifests itself in a sharp contraction of muscles in the face and body, gradually spreading to the limbs. The body hardens, bends into unnatural positions, often arched. A person experiences painful cramps, the heart rhythm is disturbed, the respiratory and excretory systems fail, and the body temperature rises sharply to 41-42 degrees. The skin turns blue and becomes filled with blood. Attacks of convulsions overtake the victim 10-15 times a day. Muscle contraction is so intense that it leads to ligament rupture, bone fractures, and dislocations. Each factor affects the viability of the body and brings death closer.
4. The action of toxins leads to asphyxia, paralysis of vital body systems, leading to human death.

Preservation of life is possible with active treatment that suppresses the spread of bacteria. The recovery process lasts for 2-3 months.

Tetanus symptoms

Tetanus is a bacterial infection that affects the nervous system, causing muscle spasms.

If a dog bites you, you should immediately thoroughly treat the wound to eliminate most of the bacteria and viruses. An animal’s saliva contains many pathogenic organisms, deadly viruses, which rapidly divide and disperse with the bloodstream throughout the body.

The passage of the virus into the bitten area, and then into the bloodstream of the tetanus virus, produces and accumulates toxins for up to 2 weeks - this is the incubation period. At this stage, no signs of tetanus from a dog bite appear, and victims complain:

• for headaches that do not go away for a long time,
• irritability, nervousness,
• insomnia,
• increased sweating,
• signs of flu.

It is important to know that the incubation time of tetanus after a dog attack will be determined by the depth of the wound, the bitten area, and the well-being of the victim. For those who are weakened, the symptoms of the disease develop more quickly.

The main and characteristic sign of tetanus when bitten by a dog is manifested by twitching of the muscles of the facial area, which resembles a nervous tic. Of course, similar symptoms are also inherent in diseases of the nervous system due to chronic stress, but if wounds, dog bites, or cuts appear shortly before this sign, you should immediately go to the hospital.

After the accumulation of the virus in the bloodstream and tetanus toxins in a certain amount, initial symptoms are observed.

1. The corners of the mouth droop; it looks like a sardonic smile. This symptom is provoked by spasms of the facial muscles.
2. There is a lump in the throat, difficulty swallowing solid food.
3. Muscles ache, like with a cold or flu.
4. There is a lack of air.
5. There is sweating, it increases in the middle of the night.
6. Saliva is produced intensely.
7. Increases muscle tone.
8. There are difficulties with bowel movements and bladder.

Protection measures

If a dog bite does occur, after receiving an injury in a hospital setting, the following should be done:

• thorough antiseptic cleaning of the wound to reduce the risk of infection, since animal saliva contains a huge number of viruses and pathogenic organisms that penetrate the bloodstream and spread throughout the body;
• sanitation of wound pockets, blowing oxygen to speed up healing.

The infection often manages to penetrate the tissue, so thorough treatment is important.

A mandatory element of medical care is a tetanus vaccination after a dog bite and the administration of antitetanus serum. The procedure is accessible. If for some reason there is no tetanus vaccine available, then a series of laboratory tests can determine whether the virus is in the blood in order to diagnose the disease.

During treatment in a hospital, patients are placed in special aseptic boxes, in which irritating factors such as light and noise are reduced. Patients undergo procedures for muscle relaxation - relieving spasms and convulsive manifestations.

In order to maintain the vital functions of the body, constant monitoring of the functioning of the heart, lungs, stomach, and other organs is carried out.

Tetanus from a dog bite is fraught with serious complications even with treatment. Therapy is combined with the prevention of blood clots, congestive pneumonia, and other concomitant diseases.

Problems with swallowing and spasms of the facial muscles often make it difficult to eat, so dishes with a semi-liquid consistency are offered.

The duration of therapy depends on reducing the number of seizures, normalizing muscle tone, and improving the patient’s well-being. Following the doctor’s prescriptions and recommendations and providing medicinal support to the body helps patients recover from a serious illness.

Intensity of infection development

The intensity of the symptoms and the duration of the incubation period determine the main forms of the disease:

• mild - incubation period up to 3 weeks, pronounced signs of the disease (trismus, difficulty swallowing, sardonic smile). Timely therapy gives a favorable prognosis;
• moderate severity - the period of development of tetanus infection does not exceed 15 days, symptoms increase within 2-3 days. High temperature, fever, triad of signs of tetanus. The course of the disease depends on the body’s resources and the medical care measures taken;
• severe - an incubation period of about 10 days, intense symptoms with a sharp deterioration in the victim’s condition, the presence of complications. High percentage of deaths;
• extremely severe - rapid development of the disease over several days, continuous attacks, disruption of internal organs, leading to the death of the victim.

Preventing the development of the disease is possible as soon as the first signs of tetanus appear in a person after a dog bite.

Treatment

For minor bites, you can clean the wound at home. For serious wounds, consult a doctor. The doctor will use a syringe to rinse the wound with saline to wash away microorganisms from the wound. He will then prescribe antibiotics to prevent infection. The doctor will also examine the wound to look for damage to structures in the body, such as nerves or bones. If a person has not received a tetanus vaccine within the last 5 years, they should get it to reduce their risk of developing tetanus.

For severe or facial wounds, the person will receive stitches to close the wound. If a person does not know the dog's vaccination history, they will need a rabies vaccine to protect against the possibility of infection.

Prevention

Many cases of tetanus infection can be avoided if you take care of safety in advance:

• vaccinate domestic dogs and other pets;
• limit contact with unfamiliar animals, do not provoke them into aggressive behavior;
• persons whose occupation is related to animals (veterinarians, dog handlers) should use tetanus vaccines.

Injuries from a vaccinated dog, no skin bites, and injuries solely from the animal’s claws are less dangerous.
Tetanus vaccination is not carried out in such cases. An important factor is the absence of open wounds and contact with the animal’s saliva for human safety against the threat of contracting tetanus after a bite.

Tetanus. How to save a life