Last year, a 60-year-old shopkeeper in Istanbul stood up to two thieves who tried to rob his store. Things got messy fast, and one thief bit his arm hard, leaving a deep wound. At a local clinic, doctors thought it was no big deal. They cleaned the wound, slapped on a bandage, and sent him home, figuring he’d be fine in no time. But that bite was turned this man's life around when it got deadly.
Later, the shopkeeper began to feel terrible. He developed a high fever, shook with chills, and watched as his arm swelled to almost twice its size, changing strange colors.
His family rushed him to Sultan II Abdulhamid Han Training and Research Hospital, where doctors discovered a dangerous infection caused by the bite. The germs from the thief’s mouth had taken hold; the infection was spreading up to his elbow, and doctors feared he might have to have his arm amputated to save his life.
The hospital team jumped into action. They used about 90 hours of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, placing him in a hyperbaric chamber to force pure oxygen into infected tissue. After two hours per session, one session per day, plus wound dressings, surgical cleaning, and surgical removal of dead (necrotic) tissue, the swelling started to shrink within days.
Over about three and a half months including physiotherapy, they managed to save his hand and forearm, and he eventually regained full function of his arm.
Human bites can be worse than dog bites because they push dangerous germs deep into the body. This case aligns with findings from a pivotal study by Goldstein, Citron, and Wield, which showed that human bites introduce a complex mix of dangerous bacteria, like Eikenella corrodens, deep into the body, often leading to severe infections. 1
Published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, the research found that 33 out of 34 human bite wounds grew multiple pathogens, compared to less complex infections from animal bites, highlighting why human bites can be far worse. This explains why the shopkeeper’s arm swelled dramatically, nearly requiring amputation, and underscores the need to treat even small human bites with urgent care to avoid catastrophic outcomes.
This particular case is an example of treating severe human bites with the same treatment or procedure for animal/reptile bites.
1. Goldstein, Ellie J. C., Diane M. Citron, and Bonnie Wield. "Bacteriology of Human and Animal Bite Wounds." Journal of Clinical Microbiology 8, no. 6 (December 1978): 667–672. https://doi.org/10.1128/jcm.8.6.667-672.1978.
(Rh/Eth/ARC/MSM)