While vacationing in Costa Rica with her parents, 3-year-old Léna was bitten by an iguana trying to steal her piece of cake. The animal transmitted to him a rare disease which did not manifest itself until several months later. His unique case will be presented at a scientific congress to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from April 15 to 18.
The facts date back to March 2022. Lena, a 3-year-old child of American origin, is on vacation in Costa Rica with her parents when she is bitten on her left hand by an iguana that has come to devour a piece of her cake, d ‘after information from CNN.
Just after the bite, the little Californian is taken care of at the hospital. Her wound is disinfected and she receives antibiotic treatment to prevent salmonella infection. Even if this behavior is quite unusual for an iguana – an animal deemed harmless – so far nothing abnormal. However, events take a different turn when the girl’s wound becomes infected.
Five months later, the parents notice a ball on his left hand, at the level of the bite. The doctor consulted is not worried and diagnoses a “simple harmless cyst”. But the ball continues to grow, reaching two centimeters. During a second consultation, the doctor decides to have the little girl operated on.
First case of human infection
After various laboratory tests, the doctors discovered that the child had a rare Mycobacterium marinum infection. This bacterium present in fresh or salt water rarely affects humans. It most often causes a tuberculosis-like disease in fish.
The analysis reveals that the bacterium has caused tissue necrosis and significant local inflammation. Thanks to a new antibiotic treatment, this time adapted to the bacteria, the little girl is slowly recovering from her injury. “Our daughter just celebrated her fourth birthday and is still recovering from surgery in November,” Lena’s parents said in a statement. “The wound is barely closing.”
In Lena’s case, it could be the first case of Mycobacterium marinum infection in humans following an iguana bite. In general, the few people who become infected are infected after exposing a wound to this bacteria in water. They develop a rash or lump that can turn into an ulcer. His unique case will be presented at a scientific congress (European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases), which will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from April 15 to 18.