What is it about?
Open-water swimmers often encounter marine wildlife. Seals and sea lions can bite, and may carry zoonotic diseases, which can be passed between animals and humans. This study reviewed eleven swimmer-animal interactions at the Dolphin Club in San Francisco Bay over a three-year period. Bites are reported infrequently, and typically involve the lower extremities. Because of the risk of Mycoplasma infection, treatment with a tetracycline antibiotic is recommended. Swimmers should leave the water as soon as possible after a bite or encounter.
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Why is it important?
Seals and sea lions can bite, and they may carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans. This review of bite cases provided important information on the frequency of interactions with swimmers, and recommendations for treatment of wounds.
Perspectives
As a marine mammal health worker, it is vital for me to gather as much information as possible about potential diseases to which I may be exposed. This study showed that marine mammal interactions with swimmers are infrequent, but they do happen. Prompt and appropriate therapy may make the difference between a fast resolution and the development of infections and complications.
Dr Claire A Simeone
The Marine Mammal Center
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) and Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina richardii) Bites and Contact Abrasions in Open-Water Swimmers: A Series of 11 Cases, Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, December 2015, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.wem.2015.07.005.
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