French Scorpionism (Mainland and Oversea Territories): Narrative Review of Scorpion Species, Scorpion Venom, and Envenoming Management

• Published in: Toxins Vol. 14; no. 10; p. 719
• Main Authors: Vaucel, Jules-Antoine, Larréché, Sébastien, Paradis, Camille, Courtois, Arnaud, Pujo, Jean-Marc, Elenga, Narcisse, Résière, Dabor, Caré, Weniko, de Haro, Luc, Gallart, Jean-Christophe, Torrents, Romain, Schmitt, Corinne, Chevalier, Johan, Labadie, Magali, Kallel, Hatem, French Pcc Research Group
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 21-10-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Analgesics; Animals; Antivenins - therapeutic use; Antivenom; Bites and stings; Calcines; Care and treatment; Centruroides; Congestive heart failure; Cysteine; Distribution; Dobutamine; Female; Health risks; Humans; Infant, Newborn; intensive care units; Islands; Lidocaine; Life Sciences; Medical importance; Pain; Peptides; Physiological aspects; poison control centers; Pregnancy; Premature Birth; Prey; public health; Review; scorpion stings; Scorpion Stings - drug therapy; scorpion venom; Scorpion Venoms; Scorpions; Species; Stings; Tityus; Venom; Visual aspects; France; French West Indies; Indian Ocean; French Guiana; Guadeloupe; Martinique; North Africa; Pacific Ocean; Corsica; New Caledonia; French Polynesia; scorpion stings; public health; poison control centers; intensive care units; scorpion venom
• ISSN: 2072-6651; 2072-6651
• DOI: 10.3390/toxins14100719

Sixty-seven scorpion species have been described in France and its territories, where they have been found to be heterogeneously distributed. Indeed, only one species can be found on Réunion Island, while 38 species exist in French Guiana. The number of stings is also heterogenous, with up to 90 stings per 100,000 inhabitants occurring annually. Scorpion species can frequently be determined through simple visual factors, including species of medical importance (i.e.,
and
). Scorpion venom is composed of local enzymes and peptides with a cysteine-stabilized α/β motif (NaTxs, Ktxs, Calcines), which allow for venom diffusion and the prey's incapacitation, respectively. Harmful scorpion species are limited to
in the French West Indies, which can induce severe envenoming, and the
and
in French Guiana, which can cause fatalities in children and can induce severe envenoming, respectively. Envenomation by one of these scorpions requires hospital monitoring as long as systemic symptoms persist. Typical management includes the use of a lidocaine patch, pain killers, and local antiseptic. In the case of heart failure, the use of dobutamine can improve survival, and pregnant women must consult an obstetrician because of the elevated risk of preterm birth or stillbirth. France does not have scorpion antivenom, as scorpion stings are generally not fatal.