Managing Parrot Bite Injuries to the Hand: Not Just Another Animal Bite

King, Ian; Freeman, Hannah; Wokes, James

doi:10.1007/s11552-014-9644-8

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…The Red-and-green Macaw studied here has a total muscle mass of almost 12 g (~1% of body mass) and so given the relationship between jaw muscle mass and bite reported by Deeming et al (2022), it is predicted that it will have a bite force of 150 N (0.12 N g -1 ). Given the well-muscled jaw apparatus of this large parrot, and the damage a parrot bite can inflict (King et al 2015), these estimates seem rather low. Although bite force is generally low in birds (Deeming et al 2022) compared to some reptiles (see Deeming 2022), our understanding of this relationship is based on a very relatively small dataset for a limited range of bird species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Allometric inter-relationships between jaw musculature mass, skull size and body mass in Psittaciformes

2022

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Functional characteristics of the jaw apparatus, for example bite force, in vertebrates is a combination of the skeleton and the musculature. In birds, bite force has been measured directly or calculated using various methods including summation of forces generated by the different elements of the jaw musculature. However, there have been no reports of the relationships between body size with the mass of the different muscle groups in a closely related group of birds. This study explored allometry in the different jaw muscle masses from parrot (Psittaciformes) species differing in body mass by 40-fold. It was hypothesised that the different muscle masses would exhibit isometry with body mass and skull size. Parrot heads were dissected and the masses of the individual muscle complexes were recorded. Data were subjected to phylogenetically-controlled regression analysis to document scaling effects with body mass and skull size. Most, but not all muscles, exhibited positive allometry with body mass but most were isometric with skull size. Consequently, as parrots get bigger, their skulls get proportionally longer, but that the muscles within the head isometrically scaled relative to the size of these proportionally larger skulls. The large muscles imply greater bite forces in parrots than have been reported to date, which seems to be associated with an increase in skull size to accommodate more muscles. It is unknown whether this pattern is applicable to other birds within specific orders or even across birds as a whole. There needs to be further investigation into the allometry of the morphological and functional properties of the avian jaw musculature.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Allometric inter-relationships between jaw musculature mass, skull size and body mass in Psittaciformes

2022

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“…While covering for Staphylococcus and Streptococcus species is important in abscess formation, one must consider other bacteria associated with bites. Escherichia coli and zoonoses such as Pasteurella multocida , C. psittaci, and Mycobacterium avium are all considerations when dealing with parrot bites [ 6 - 7 ]. Ceftriaxone will cover Staphylococcus and Streptococcus species, as well as E. coli .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…P. multocida is covered by third-generation cephalosporins but not macrolides. The patient’s antibiotics were changed to amoxicillin/clavulanate and doxycycline which cover community-acquired bacteria and are the recommended first-line therapies for the aforementioned causes of zoonoses [ 6 - 7 ]. That being said, all cultures were negative and the patient responded to incision and drainage.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Acute Compartment Syndrome of the Hand from a Parrot Bite

Dotson¹,

Mullen²

2019

Cureus

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Acute compartment syndrome (ACS) of the hand is uncommon, especially secondary to exotic animal bites. In this case, we describe a patient who developed ACS of the hand after being bitten by her pet, an African grey parrot. The patient required emergent fasciotomy that resulted in symptom improvement. Furthermore, the patient developed an abscess leading to the consideration of antibiotic coverage for bird bites. This case provoked the consideration of compartment syndrome on the differential for minor crush or unusual injuries. It is also important to recognize that compartment syndrome may occur in any fascial compartment. As bird-related injuries are uncommon, we have briefly discussed antibiotic coverage for bird bites and associated zoonoses. We believe this is the first reported case of compartment syndrome of the hand from a parrot bite.

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“…Together, these features are thought to improve the force generating potential of the feeding system. Indeed, parrot bites are well known to cause severe injuries often requiring medical intervention (Dotson & Mullen, 2019; King et al., 2015). Moreover, parrots are an ancient arboreal lineage and exhibit numerous adaptations toward tree climbing including co‐opting their beak as a key component of their locomotor system when scaling vertical surfaces (Reader et al., 2022; Young et al., 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In vivo bite force in lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis, Psittaciformes) and their relative biting performance among birds

2022

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Bite force represents a critical measure of an animal's feeding capabilities and has been analyzed in the context of ecology and body size in numerous vertebrate lineages. Among birds, bite force potential has been comprehensively quantified in finches; however, no in vivo data have been reported within parrots (order: Psittaciformes), and an anatomical estimate of bite force has been calculated for only two species. Despite this paucity of data, the parrot feeding system represents one of the most functionally interesting among tetrapods, exhibiting many anatomical novelties unique among birds and contributing to locomotion when parrots climb vertical surfaces. Within this study, we present in vivo bite force data from six rosy‐faced lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) at a range of gapes (2.5–10 mm, or 20–50°). These data are contextualized against more than 70 other avian taxa for which bite forces have been previously reported. Our findings demonstrate that bite forces decreased iteratively with each increase in gape size, with all between‐group differences yielding statistical significance. Relative to other birds, Agapornis, Psittacus, and Myiopsitta all exhibit larger bite forces than would be expected for their body size. We infer that the diet of parrots – many of which are specialized granivores, capable of crushing large and mechanically resistant seeds – may have contributed to their relatively strong biting capabilities. This interpretation is supported by other recent studies highlighting how the mechanical properties of foods drive bite forces in other vertebrate lineages, such as lizards and bats.

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Managing Parrot Bite Injuries to the Hand: Not Just Another Animal Bite

Cited by 7 publications

References 4 publications

Allometric inter-relationships between jaw musculature mass, skull size and body mass in Psittaciformes

Allometric inter-relationships between jaw musculature mass, skull size and body mass in Psittaciformes

Acute Compartment Syndrome of the Hand from a Parrot Bite

In vivo bite force in lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis, Psittaciformes) and their relative biting performance among birds

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