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Project Zomboid infection: bites and scratches

Project Zomboid infection is not the same as an infected wound. Check default zombie-wound risks, sandbox changes and what bandaging cannot cure.

Any time · infection: bites and scratches, Stable42.21

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By Hizzle Guides · Published 2026-11-05 · Facts checked 2026-11-05 · Game version checked: Stable 42.21; Pre-Release 42.22.1 reviewed separately. Checked November 5, 2026. No in-game testing.

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Project Zomboid infection has two different meanings: an ordinary wound infection and the Knox infection that can follow a zombie injury. Bandaging a bite can stop bleeding; it does not establish that Knox has been cured.

The default zombie-wound reference

Under the checked Blood and Saliva transmission context, the published current reference gives these per-zombie-wound risks:

  • Scratch: 7%.
  • Laceration: 25%.
  • Bite: 100%.

Single source for those detailed current percentages: ProjectZom’s infection reference and its same-publisher health page count as one source. They are not two independent confirmations. These figures do not apply to every sandbox setting or to every non-zombie scratch.

Why the Health panel can confuse you

A wound labeled infected is not, by that label alone, proof of the fatal zombie infection. The checked health reference separates local wound treatment from Knox. A kitchen accident and a zombie wound can therefore require different reasoning even when both need a bandage.

Likewise, feeling Queasy has several possible causes in the checked reference, including unsafe food and corpse exposure. One moodle alone does not identify the cause. Review the recent wound, food, location and world settings.

What to do with the survivor

  1. Get out of immediate danger and open the Health panel.
  2. Stop active bleeding with suitable wound supplies.
  3. Record whether the injury came from a zombie and what the panel actually calls it.
  4. Check the world’s transmission and mortality settings before applying a default conclusion.
  5. If the normal vanilla bite outcome applies, plan for the current survivor’s limits rather than collecting alleged cure items from a different mod.

The checked current reference reports no vanilla Knox cure. Antibiotics and disinfectant are not a verified way to remove it, and amputation mods are not a standard game feature.

UNSURE: independent current confirmation of every numerical risk, exact symptom timing and all custom mortality rules. No in-game testing was performed by Hizzle.

Related: Project Zomboid beginner guide: Build 42, Project Zomboid best beginner build (42.21), Project Zomboid achievements: Steam status, Project Zomboid patch notes: 42.21 vs 42.22, Project Zomboid TV schedule: Life and Living, Project Zomboid mods not working: Build 42, Project Zomboid how to climb ladders.

Sources we checked

UNSURE marks what this guide hasn't established. Hizzle Guides research from public sources; we don't claim in-game testing unless a page says so.

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