Iguana Bite Can Lead to Rare Bacterial Infection That May Take Months to Surface

Iguanas pose serious health risks. A new report revealed that its bite could lead to a rare bacterial infection that may take months for one to discover.

Iguana Bite Leads to Bacterial Infection

A family from San Jose, including a 3-year-old girl, traveled to Costa Rica. She ate cake on the beach when an iguana stole the dessert and bit her left hand. The young girl was given oral amoxicillin for five days after being diagnosed with a superficial bite at a nearby clinic. But a cyst emerged five months later, Sun Sentinel reported.

Scientists examined the growth in the lab after it was removed and biopsied and found that the infant had an uncommon infection brought on by the bite. That kind of infection often only affects people after a wound has been exposed to water-borne bacteria.

Mycobacterium marinum is often resistant to most medicines, so doctors prescribed the child rifampin, an antibacterial, and clarithromycin, an antibiotic frequently used to treat skin infections. According to a report, the infection reacted favorably to the medication.

It's common for it to take a few months for growth to manifest, according to Dr. Jordan Mah, the author of the study that will be published in the June 2023 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, the CDC's monthly peer-reviewed public health journal. According to him, mycobacterium marinum is frequently related to snake bites.

Mah, a specialist in medical microbiology who works at the lab that examined the cyst as a part of the Department of Pathology at Stanford University, explained that the course this pathogen takes with this infection occurs over a period of time.

He suggested avoiding feeding iguanas so they don't come to associate people with food. He believed the iguana was probably fed by beachgoers, so he bit the kid to get her food.

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Does Iguana Bite?

According to A-Z Animals, the teeth of iguanas are intimidating but rarely bite. They only do this when they are provoked.

Critter Control also shared the same thing. Iguanas reportedly only bite in self-defense and usually give warning before biting, which one should look out for.

Per Critter Control, it will assess the situation, stand up on its front legs, and lean forward to estimate the distance before it bobs its head to make itself appear larger. When iguanas bite, they tear rather than puncture the skin, so their bites usually require stitches.

According to Tom Portuallo, proprietor of Iguana Control, the unusually warm winter is to blame for South Floridians seeing more iguanas than usual for this time of year.

Portuallo, a 14-year veteran of the iguana removal industry, said he hasn't heard of anyone ever getting bitten by an iguana. According to him, this type of lizard is not designed to kill prey and usually runs away from people. He added that he observed dogs getting sick from licking iguana feces and children getting ill from touching their droppings.

Iguanas leave behind feces that are almost as big as dog dung. Due to their popularity, it's simple to unintentionally come into contact with their bacteria-filled droppings on lawns and pool decks.

However, Mah assured Floridians not to be concerned about an iguana swimming in their pool spreading salmonella or mycobacerium marinum because the water is chlorinated, so the organisms should be killed. Also, for organisms to enter, there would need to be a cut, even in a freshwater lake or river.