JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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Dog bite wounds are a common problem with an infection rate only slightly higher than that for lacerations in general. Wounds may be sutured after debridement and thorough irrigation, unless they are located on the hand, where infection is common. Infection is caused by a variety of organisms. A penicillinase-resistant penicillin or cephalexin monohydrate is the drug of choice; studies suggest prophylactic antibiotic therapy may be useful, especially in high-risk wounds.
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Six cases of hepatitis B-associated vasculitis occurred during a four-year period in Eskimos living in southwest Alaska, an area hyperendemic for hepatitis B. All showed positive results in tests for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and all five patients tested for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) showed positive values. Two patients died of the disease. ⋯ Serological evidence of HBsAg was found in 22% and antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs) in 30% of close relatives of the patients. Two patients had no previous serological evidence of infection with HBV, indicating that vasculitis followed recent infection. The results provide epidemiologic evidence of the clinical association between HBV infection and vasculitis.