Association of daily high temperatures with increased snake envenomations: A case-crossover study

Hanback, Sullivan; Slattery, Ann P.; McGwin, Gerald; Arnold, Justin K.

doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.08.010

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Snake bites are classically associated with warm weather 6,14 . Our study supports these prior findings as nearly 80% of all bites resulted in the five months of May, June, July, August, and September.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Epidemiology and Characteristics of North American Crotalid Bites Reported to the National Poison Data System 2006–2020

Thornton

Darracq

2022

Southern Medical Journal

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Objectives: North American pit viper, or crotalid bites, remain a lowincidence and potentially high-consequence medical event. Although the venom of these snakes is known to cause tissue, hematologic, and neurologic toxicity, the published literature on North American crotalid bites remains limited. The National Poison Data System, the data repository for the 55 poison control centers in the United States, offers a unique opportunity to examine nationwide trends involving venomous snake bites.Methods: National Poison Data System cases involving North American crotalids from 2006 to 2020 were analyzed. Data collected included age and type of snake, date, geographic location, pertinent clinical characteristics, treatments administered, and medical outcomes including incidence of "dry" bites and death.Results: A total of 55,914 cases were identified during the 15-year study period. Cases, especially those involving copperheads, increased during the study period. Most of the cases were reported in July. Cases were reported in all 50 states and Washington, DC, with Texas having the most cases (n = 9115). North Carolina had the largest increase in bites during the study period. Moderate or major medical outcomes were documented in 58% (n = 32,584) of cases, with 25% (n = 14,195) being admitted to a critical care unit. Puncture wound, edema, and pain were the most commonly documented symptoms. Antivenom was documented as being administered in 25% (n = 14,151) of cases. Dry bites were reported in <1.5% of cases. Thirty-two deaths were reported, 23 involving rattlesnakes.Conclusions: This study demonstrates that reported North American crotalid bites appear to be increasing over time and are associated with potentially significant morbidity. Mortality, however, remains low.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Epidemiology and Characteristics of North American Crotalid Bites Reported to the National Poison Data System 2006–2020

Thornton

Darracq

2022

Southern Medical Journal

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“…There have been a small number of prior studies exploring the link between meteorological factors and snakebite. Two studies most similar in design to ours-one from Israel and a smaller one from Alabama-both found that warmer temperatures were associated with an increase in snakebite (Hanback et al, 2021;Shashar et al, 2018). Ediriweera et al (2018) reported a positive association between snakebite and periods of lower-than-expected humidity in Sri Lanka (Ediriweera et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

The Association Between Ambient Temperature and Snakebite in Georgia, USA: A Case‐Crossover Study

et al. 2023

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified snakebite envenoming as a highest priority neglected tropical disease, and one with inadequate epidemiological reporting (World Health Organization, 2018).There are three broad types of snakebite. The first are bites when a venomous snake envenomates the victim. Poor outcomes related to envenomation are often preventable with proper treatment, but if untreated can progress to irreversible damage including permanent limb dysfunction or death, which often occurs through respiratory failure (elapid species) or hemorrhagic shock (viper species) (

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“…Changes in seasonal temperatures are generally presumed to influence a snake's activity and lifecycle because of its poikilothermic nature, i.e., snakes are affected by ambient temperature and humidity [28][29][30]. Indeed, it is well established that snake activity positively correlates with temperature and humidity [28,31].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The correlation between snakebite incidence and weather has been reported to vary by region. For example, drought conditions have been discovered to increase the incidence of snakebite in Costa Rica and Alabama [30,34]. In contrast, snakebite incidence has been found to increase after precipitation in California [35].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Retrospective Evaluation of Snake Envenomation in Dogs in South Korea (2004–2021)

Lee

Song

2022

Toxins

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Snake envenomation is a medical emergency capable of causing local and systemic complications. However, information on venomous snakebite in dogs in South Korea is scarce. In this study, fifty-nine dogs treated at a private veterinary clinic from 2004 to 2021 were retrospectively studied. The aim was to characterize the demographics, elapsed time between snakebite and veterinary clinic presentation, laboratory findings, clinical signs, treatments, adverse reactions to antivenom, and prognosis of venomous snakebite. Snakebite was mostly observed between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. from April to October. On the days of envenomation, the weather conditions were mostly cloudy, followed by rain/precipitation, and least frequently fair weather. Grassland was the most common incident location, and leashed dog walking was the most frequent activity when snakebite occurred. The main local symptoms were edema, hemorrhagic discharge, cutaneous erythema, ulceration, and necrosis. Major systemic clinical signs were tachypnea, tachycardia, altered mentation, ptyalism, and hypotension. Based on the time interval between snakebite and presentation at the veterinary clinic, two groups were defined: <4 h (Group 1, 49.2%) and ≥4 h (Group 2, 50.8%). Systemic inflammation was more frequently observed in Group 2. The level of C-reactive protein at presentation (p = 0.036) and the highest-level during hospitalization (p = 0.023) were significantly elevated in Group 2 (≥4 h). The dogs in Group 2 displayed more frequent muscle damage (increased creatine kinase) than the dogs in Group 1, and a higher level of creatine kinase was associated with delayed (≥4 h) presentation after snakebite (p = 0.003). All of the dogs were treated symptomatically, and 34 dogs (58%) received antivenom. Treatment with antivenom showed no adverse reactions in this study. All of the treated dogs recovered. One dog was euthanized without any treatment due to respiratory distress, hypotension, and cost constraints. In conclusion, this study provides baseline information on venomous snakebite in dogs in South Korea. The prognosis was excellent, especially when the dogs were treated within 4 h.

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Association of daily high temperatures with increased snake envenomations: A case-crossover study

Cited by 3 publications

References 15 publications

Epidemiology and Characteristics of North American Crotalid Bites Reported to the National Poison Data System 2006–2020

Epidemiology and Characteristics of North American Crotalid Bites Reported to the National Poison Data System 2006–2020

The Association Between Ambient Temperature and Snakebite in Georgia, USA: A Case‐Crossover Study

A Retrospective Evaluation of Snake Envenomation in Dogs in South Korea (2004–2021)

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