Animal bites may result in many different infections. Allowing all wounds to heal and for any obvious infection to have resolved should avoid problems. As well as local care of the bite, donors may receive other treatments such as antibiotics or immunisation; these may affect the donor's eligibility.
Bites from poisonous (venomous) snakes can cause extensive local tissue damage that can take a long time to heal and may require surgery. Depending on the species of biting snake, their venom can cause problems with blood clotting and, in severe cases, require transfusion of blood components (e.g. plasma or cryoprecipitate).
There is a concern that bites from non-human primates, because of close genetic links, may transmit diseases that could cause illness in people. It is known that some diseases have been transmitted by this route. For this reason any person who has ever been bitten by a non-human primate is not allowed to donate. Non-human primates include chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, monkeys (old and new world), tarsiers, lemurs and lorises.
Anyone who has been in unusual contact with a bat, such as handling a sick or injured bat, should be considered at risk of rabies. Bat bites are usually insignificant and easily overlooked. Merely being in a place where bats roost is not considered a risk.
Rabies, and similar diseases, have long incubation periods and do not show as a wound infection. There is no evidence that these infections have ever been transmitted through a blood transfusion. These diseases appear to be confined to the nervous system during their incubation periods. There is evidence that they have been transmitted through organ, tissue and ocular transplants.
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