Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2025 Jun 1;41(6):443-447.
doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000003358. Epub 2025 Feb 24.

Emergency Management of Animal-Related Injuries in Children: An Observational Multicenter Italian Study

Onorina Di Mita  1 , Margherita Rosa  1 , Laura Ruggiero  1 , Vincenzo Tipo  1 , Fabio Savoia  2 , Claudio Fiorilla  3 , Ilaria Liguoro  4 , Paola Cogo  4   5 , Elena Bozzola  6 , Francesco La Penna  6 , Fabio Cardinale  7 , Francesco La Torre  7 , Federico Marchetti  8   9 , Angela Troisi  8 , Andrea Cella  10 , Giacomo Biasucci  11   12 , Nadia Rossi  13 , Roberta Rossi  14 , Caterina Pacenza  15 , Sergio Manieri  16 , Giuseppe Di Cara  17 , Francesca Corrias  18 , Giuseppe Patano  19 , Marco Maglione  1
Affiliations
Observational Study

Emergency Management of Animal-Related Injuries in Children: An Observational Multicenter Italian Study

Onorina Di Mita et al. Pediatr Emerg Care. .

Abstract

Objectives: Animal-related injuries (ARIs) represent a common reason for emergency department (ED) visits in children. Limited data regarding treatment in Italian EDs are available. The aims of the study were to assess the epidemiological features of these patients and to investigate the association between their characteristics and therapeutic approaches, particularly antibiotic prescription.

Materials and methods: Patients presenting to 13 pediatric EDs from 11 Italian regions because of ARIs were prospectively enrolled for 20 months. Patients' clinical data, injury characteristics, and performed treatment were recorded.

Results: We enrolled 442 patients aged 6.1 years (3.9) who were grouped in non-insect-related injuries (non-IRIs, n=236) and insect-related injuries (IRIs, n=206). Most injuries occurred in an outdoor setting during the afternoon. Except for IRIs, the most frequently involved animals were pets, mostly dogs (91.5%). In 59.1% of cases, the injury extent was <15 mm. The antibiotic prescription was more likely in children presenting with a lesion by a wild animal [odds ratio (OR): 5.8 (CI 95%: 1.27-26.57), P =0.02], in those with lacerations [OR: 2.90 (CI 95%: 1.13-6.54), P =0.01], and in those with larger injuries [OR: 2.66 (CI 95%: 1.49-4.76), P <0.01]. Antibiotics were more frequently prescribed in non-IRIs compared with IRIs ( P <0.001), whereas IRIs more commonly received oral or topical steroids, topical antibiotics, or antihistamines ( P <0.001).

Conclusions: Most pediatric ARIs require limited emergency management. Antibiotic prescriptions are more likely in large lesions determined by wild animals. Monitoring non-IRIs and IRIs may provide useful information to improve and uniform therapeutic management and to plan public health preventive interventions.

Keywords: animal-related injuries; antibiotic prophylaxis; children; emergency department; insect-related injuries; non–insect-related injuries.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Morgan M. Hospital management of animal and human bites. J Hosp Infect. 2005;61:1–10.
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nonfatal dog bite-related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments—United States, 2001. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2003;52:605–610.
    1. Ellis R, Ellis C. Dog and cat bites. Am Fam Physician. 2014;90:239–243.
    1. Ashby K, Routley V, Stathakis V. Enforcing legislative and regulatory injury prevention strategies. Hazard. 1998;34:1–59.
    1. Watson WA, Litovitz TL, Klein-Schwartz W, et al. 2003 annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers Toxic Exposure Surveillance System. Am J Emerg Med. 2004;22:335–404.

Publication types

Substances

LinkOut - more resources