title: [Fauna attacks in French Guiana: retrospective 4-year analysis].
abstract: The rich, diversified fauna of French Guiana has an infamous reputation for its aggressiveness. A retrospective analysis of the records the SAMU emergency service in Guiana showed that less than 1% of phone calls received between 1998 and 2001 involved fauna attacks. Most of these calls involved flying hymenoptera (36.9%), snakes (15.6 %), dogs (13.8%), and scorpions (9.8%). In 69 of 666 cases, the attack was severe enough to warrant dispatching a SMUR intensive mobile care unit. These cases involved poisonous snake bites (n=35), flying hymenoptera stings (n=24) and scorpion stings (n=5). Although this study presents numerous confounding factors, its findings indicate that the risk of fauna attacks in French Guiana may be overestimated.
authors.affiliation: Service des Urgences, Centre Hospitalier Andrée Rosemon, Cayenne. emmanuelle.mimeau@wanadoo.fr
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mimeau
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chesneau
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004285:Dogs; D005616:French Guiana / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D006927:Hymenoptera; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D065008:Scorpion Stings / Q000453:epidemiology; D012605:Scorpions; D012909:Snake Bites / Q000453:epidemiology