Worried of infection.

Dear Ask The Doctor: Hello, I had a basketball game today. When I went up for a rebound, my elbow hit another player in the mouth. I'm not sure if he was bleeding or not, but I had blood on my elbow with two or three little cuts. I'm worried that his blood may of got into mine, and that I might get a disease or something bad. Can you please help me?

Dear Nick:

I understand how worried you might about the possible human bite that could have happened in that accident. Human bites can be as dangerous as or even more dangerous than animal bites because of the types of bacteria and viruses contained in the human mouth.

Since you mention that you have 3 small cuts, I would suggest you to wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water first, cover it with a clean bandage with an antibiotic cream such as Neosporin and if the cuts are deep and you had your last tetanus shot more than 5 years ago consult your primary care physician, if the cuts are very superficial just treat the wound with the antibiotic ointment.

If you develop fever or you notice redness, tenderness and edema around your elbow in the nest days, seek immediate medical evaluation of the wound.