Management of snakebites in France

Abstract

Although not a major health problem in Europe, snakebite in the old continent was the focus of recent studies to evaluate their overall incidence and define management techniques. The purpose of this three-part report is to present the experience of the Marseille Poison Centre with snakebite in France. The first section deals with viper envenomation that now benefits from a validated therapeutic protocol using of purified antivenom of proven efficacy and tolerance in patients showing grade 2 and 3 symptoms. The second section describes the highly variable snakebite situation in French overseas territories that include areas where local species require specialized management, e.g. Martinique and French Guiana. The third section involves the emerging problems associated with the keeping of exotic snakes as pets with problems related to the use of antivenoms from foreign countries. The exotic-snake pets fashion was at the origin of the creation of a national antivenom bank by two French poison centers (Angers and Marseille) to ensure prompt delivery of antivenoms for exotic snake envenomation anywhere in mainland France.