{{short description|Medical condition}} {{globalize|date=December 2024}} A '''monkey bite''' is the bite of a monkey and is the second most common animal bite after dog bites in India. Monkey bites account for 2–21% of animal bite injuries.{{where|date=December 2024}}{{cn|date=December 2024}} Monkey bites are an important risk among travelers and after dog bites is the most common animal bite for travelers. Treatment depends upon many factors including the suspicion of rabies. Management involves:
* wound cleansing and care * prophylactic antibiotics * post-bite rabies treatment * post-bite tetanus treatment<ref name="WHO2013" /> Serious infections can result after a monkey bite. Simian herpes B virus is endemic in some species of Asian monkeys. It was first identified by an investigator who was bitten by what appeared to be a healthy monkey. The investigator died shortly thereafter from brain inflammation (encephalitis). Subsequent simian-acquired infections with this virus have occurred with mortality rate as high as 80%. Currently, transmission of the virus through a monkey bite almost always is the result of an occupational exposure by biomedical research workers.<ref name="Gautret 2014" />
The progression of the infection has been described: "[The infection presents with] herpetic skin lesions and sensory changes [are visible] near the exposure site, fever and nonspecific flu-like myalgias and headaches, fatigue, and progressive neurologic impairment, including dyspnea. Once the central nervous system is involved, the outcome is invariably fatal. But with the deployment of antiviral therapy, both for prophylaxis and treatment, cases are now infrequent and deaths are rare, although they have occurred."<ref name="Gautret 2014" />
Prevention is accomplished through education and traveler's warnings. Prevention also includes the surveillance for the presence of rabies within monkey populations. Research is lacking in the assessment of the impact of monkey bites.<ref name="WHO2013">{{cite web|title=Animal bites Fact sheet N°373|url=https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs373/en/|work=World Health Organization|access-date=30 January 2018|date=February 2013}}</ref><ref name="Gautret 2014">{{Cite journal|last1=Gautret|first1=Philippe|last2=Blanton|first2=Jesse|last3=Dacheux|first3=Laurent|last4=Ribadeau-Dumas|first4=Florence|last5=Brouqui|first5=Philippe|last6=Parola|first6=Philippe|last7=Esposito|first7=Douglas H.|last8=Bourhy|first8=Hervé|date=2014-05-15|title=Rabies in Nonhuman Primates and Potential for Transmission to Humans: A Literature Review and Examination of Selected French National Data|journal=PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases|language=en|volume=8|issue=5|article-number=e2863|doi=10.1371/journal.pntd.0002863|pmid=24831694|issn=1935-2735|pmc=4022521 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Johnston|first1=William F.|last2=Yeh|first2=Jesson|last3=Nierenberg|first3=Richard|last4=Procopio|first4=Gabrielle|title=Exposure to Macaque Monkey Bite|journal=The Journal of Emergency Medicine|volume=49|issue=5|pages=634–637|doi=10.1016/j.jemermed.2015.06.012|pmid=26281802|year=2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Nsabimana|first1=Jean-Marie Mafuko|last2=Moutschen|first2=Michel|last3=Thiry|first3=Étienne|last4=Meurens|first4=François|date=2008-09-02|title=Infection humaine par le virus B du singe en Afrique|journal=Cahiers d'Études et de Recherches Francophones / Santé|volume=18|issue=1|pages=003–008 |doi=10.1684/san.2008.0101|pmid=18684683|issn=1157-5999}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Newton|first1=Frank|last2=United States Armed Forces|date=2010|title=Monkey bite exposure treatment protocol|journal=Journal of Special Operations Medicine|volume=10|issue=1|pages=48–49|doi=10.55460/FBRG-HMXT |issn=1553-9768|pmid=20306415|s2cid=8057261 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Mani|first1=Reeta S.|last2=Sundara Raju|first2=Y. G.|last3=Ramana|first3=P. V.|last4=Manoor Anand|first4=Ashwini|last5=Bhanu Prakash|first5=B.|date=2016-05-01|title=Human rabies following a non-human primate bite in India|journal=Journal of Travel Medicine|language=en|volume=23|issue=3|article-number=taw007|doi=10.1093/jtm/taw007|pmid=26988199|issn=1195-1982|doi-access=free}}</ref> From 1960 to 2013, 159 cases of rabies infections in humans have been documented as a result of monkey bites. These numbers were gathered from records of traveler's injuries and the prevalence of monkey bites in area residents is assumed to be much higher.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Riesland|first1=Nicholas J.|last2=Wilde|first2=Henry|date=2015-07-01|title=Expert Review of Evidence Bases for Managing Monkey Bites in Travelers|journal=Journal of Travel Medicine|language=en|volume=22|issue=4|pages=259–262|doi=10.1111/jtm.12214|pmid=26031198|issn=1195-1982|doi-access=free}}</ref>
==See also==
*Animal attacks *Anthrozoology *Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
{{Animal bites and stings}}
Category:Animal bites *