Cake-stealing iguana infects child!
A toddler in Costa Rica was sitting on a beach on a holiday with her family and eating cake. The cake caught the attention of an iguana who ran up and bit the child on the back of her left-hand before snatching the cake, as per reports. For the unversed, iguanas are large lizards, native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. What followed was lots of swelling, pain, medications and surgery to treat the infection.
Swelling and wound
After being bit, the toddler’s hand began to swell and her parents rushed her to a local hospital. The wound on her middle finger was disinfected and she was given five days of antibiotics for potential salmonella exposure. For the unversed, salmonella infection is a common bacterial disease that affects the intestinal tract. The child’s wound healed quickly without any issues. However, the infection came into light after a few months.
Possible cyst diagnosis in the 3-year-old's hand
Five months after the incident, the toddler’s parents noticed a small bump on the back of her left hand. This bump gradually became larger and over the next three months, the skin of the infected area became red and mildly painful. An ultrasound revealed a mass under the skin which the doctors found resembled a ganglion cyst, a fluid-filled lump.
Surgery revealed Mycobacterium marinum infection
While removing the two-centimeter mass from the child’s hand, the surgeon noticed pus coming from the wound, which indicates an infection. Further investigation revealed the toddler had a Mycobacterium marinum infection. Mycobacterium marinum can cause tuberculosis-like infections in fish. It can infect humans when skin wounds are exposed to contaminated fresh or saltwater, given the abundance of Mycobacterium marinum in water.
Treatment that finally worked
Mycobacterium marinum is resistant to common antibiotics including amoxicillin, which was given to the toddler when she was first bitten. After it was removed, the toddler was put onto the antibiotics rifampin and clarithromycin and responded well to therapy.
Information about iguana bite-infections is limited
Information about organisms that cause infection after iguana bites is currently limited, especially if we compare it to that caused by dog or cat bites. According to a few cases, the bacteria Serratia marcescens and Staphylococcus aureus are most linked with iguana bites. Salmonella enterica is also a possibility.
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