Quokka bites. The first report of bites from an Australian marsupial.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the incidence and natural history of bites from the quokka, a small wallaby.

DESIGN

A prospective case series.

SETTING

Rottnest Island Nursing Post, a small hospital staffed by registered nurses on call 24 hours a day, located on Rottnest Island 18 km off the coast of Western Australia near Perth.

PATIENTS: All patients presenting after a bite from a quokka.

RESULTS

Seventy-two patients (30 males and 42 females) presented after a bite. All but two patients were patting or feeding a quokka at the time of being bitten, and all but two were bitten on a finger or the thumb. Sixty-one per cent of patients were followed up; all wounds healed without complications. No wound pathogens were cultured from either wound swabs or swabs of the mouths of quokkas.

CONCLUSIONS

Bites from quokkas heal without complications, usually in two to three weeks. Simple first aid and tetanus prophylaxis where appropriate are all that is required. Antibiotics are not indicated.