DOI: 10.5694/mja2.70308 ISSN: 0025-729X
‘Once Bitten’: A Case of Tetanus Following Snakebite in Australia
Adrian A. S. Doherty, Naomi N. E. Clarke, Sarah Fletcher, Sarah Huffam, Camille V. Awburn, Eugene Athan ABSTRACT
We present a case of tetanus following a snakebite in Victoria, Australia. An otherwise healthy 58‐year‐old woman presented following suspected Tiger snake (
Notechis scutatus
) bite with envenomation. She was not up‐to‐date with tetanus vaccination and was not offered a booster vaccination. She re‐presented 12 days later with features consistent with tetanus infection and was treated with tetanus immunoglobulin and metronidazole with clinical improvement. Snakebites remain a risk for tetanus infection and the assessment of tetanus risk should be included within clinical guidelines for Australian healthcare settings.