Final answer:
Amoxicillin-clavulanate is the drug of choice for significant wound infections due to mammalian bites, as it effectively covers oral aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, including Eikenella corrodens. It is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that addresses the mix of bacteria typically present in bite wounds.
Step-by-step explanation:
The drug of choice for significant wound infections due to mammalian bites, including human bites, which provides coverage against oral aerobic and anaerobic flora, including Eikenella corrodens, is amoxicillin-clavulanate. This antibiotic is a combination of amoxicillin, a penicillin antibiotic, and clavulanic acid, which helps prevent certain bacteria from becoming resistant to amoxicillin.
Amoxicillin-clavulanate is preferred because it covers a broad spectrum of pathogens commonly involved in bite wound infections, including those that are resistant to first-generation antibiotics. While vancomycin is effective against gram-positive organisms and resistant infections such as MRSA, it does not provide the necessary coverage against the mix of both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria typically found in oral flora. Therefore, it is not the first-line treatment for mammalian bite wounds. Instead, broad-spectrum antimicrobials like amoxicillin-clavulanate are indicated to prevent or treat these infections due to their efficacy against multiple types of microbes.