Ghaziabad: Indian tourists’ fascination with petting tigers in Thailand almost cost a five-year-old her life. The girl developed life-threatening sepsis from a scratch the tiger left on her during a visit to a park in Pattaya that houses these ‘photo prop’ tigers, a practice that has drawn scrutiny globally for the abuse of naturally aggressive animals to turn them into docile selfie creatures that draw hordes of tourists.The girl suffered the scratch in mid-June and was initially treated at a hospital in Thailand. After returning to India, she developed severe rashes on her thighs, face and torso within two weeks, followed by high-grade fever and worsening health. She was admitted to Max Hospital in Vaishali on July 10 with fever, vomiting, severe abdominal pain, dangerously low blood pressure, high heart rate and respiratory complications.Dr Priyanka Sinha of the hospital’s paediatrics and immunology department said she required broad-spectrum antibiotics, ventilator support for four to five days and intensive cardiovascular care. Her condition worsened further due to a bacterial respiratory infection after the fifth day.
The girl suffered the scratch in mid-June and was initially treated at a hospital in Thailand
Dr Ramalingam Kalyan, principal director of paediatrics at the hospital, said her inflammatory markers gradually improved, and she was weaned from the ventilator to high-flow oxygen by the seventh day. “By the ninth day, she was able to maintain her oxygen levels on room air, and cardiovascular support was also discontinued by the eighth day,” he said.After 13 days in hospital, she was finally discharged without any neurological deficits. Doctors said the case was unusual because a seemingly small tiger paw scratch was followed by a potentially life-threatening infection. “Big cat bites and scratches transmit rare oral bacteria like Pasteurella multocida, Capnocytophaga species and Neisseria weaveri. These microbes live in the saliva of large felines and can cause rapid infections in humans. They can, rarely, also cause progressive systemic infection and septic shock,” Dr Sinha said.Doctors advised that any animal scratch or bite, even if superficial, should be washed thoroughly with soap and water and medically evaluated promptly. “Such precaution should be adopted even if scratched by stray dogs, cats and monkeys,” the doctor said.
