Abstract
To the Editor:
We thank Drs Weinstein and White 1 for their interest in the article, “How not to train your dragon: a case of a Komodo dragon bite,” 2 and your thoughtful comments. We recognize that the use of the term venomous is controversial when referring to Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis). The aim of this article was to present a case report and give a brief review of the literature, including the theories involved in mortality after a Komodo dragon bite, which include trauma, sepsis, and a venom deposition theory. We note that despite the theory that envenoming may occur, no signs of envenoming occurred in our patient; despite the theory that wound infection and sepsis may occur, amoxicillin-clavulanate appeared to mitigate any potential infection in our case. Our patient did experience morbidity as a result of a direct traumatic injury from the bite.
We respectfully appreciate your insightful comments regarding the possible toxic effects of a Komodo dragon bite, which will hopefully help to further clarify the question and semantics of venom and envenoming. We agree that there is no definitive proof that a toxin is involved or that envenoming occurs in Komodo dragon bites, and look forward to further research in this area. Despite this controversy, we hope that clinicians will continue to report human cases of Komodo dragon bites to add to the available literature and the ability to care for our patients.