please shuffle your feet....

[ricki]

How many folks remember or have every heard of "pungi sticks?" Back in the day, these sharpened sticks were dipped in aged poop, etc. to increase the virulence and severity of resulting injuries. Ok, in a stingray, the anal pore is situated just forward of the bony process or spike. The spike as a result has a frequently renewed coating of skate gut bacteria and whatever else might happen along to get mixed into the mucous covered elasmobranch "pungi stick." Unlike the bamboo variety the skate version is brittle and prone to fragmenting. So in your undoctored wound you may have embedded fragments liberally coated with skate gut saute.

If you read that article you will see something about "aggressive" antibiotic treatment. This doesn't imply a good dosing with Neosporen or even taking a mild antibiotic orally. They mean something more potent and aggressive. I can recall a lady windsurfer going to the ER in the Melbourne area sometime back. I think she just got some oral antibiotic. She had a lingering infection impacting muscles in her leg for about five months. It was later concluded she didn't receive an appropriate course of antibiotic treatment.

It may not become severely infected after all, some do however. So, trust to a liberally dosing of Lux soap and warm water if you feel optimistic or have it looked at and receive some appropriate medication.

You're welcome Scott. I hadn't seen the article before. It was written after Steve Irwin's accident.

Good luck