Epidemiology of Eastern Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus) Snakebites in the Great Lakes States, 1800-2015.

INTRODUCTION

The eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus) has the northernmost distribution of any venomous snake in the United States and presents a potential, but little-studied, risk to humans.

METHODS

We quantified the reported incidence of massasauga bites to humans in the Great Lakes states by searching historic and contemporary media reports between 1800 and 2015.

RESULTS

We identified 848 reported massasauga bites across the region, most of which were concentrated along the border of Indiana and Michigan. The number of bites per decade increased into the late 1800s as human population increased; it then declined sharply in the 1900s, likely owing to declining massasauga population and habitat. The majority of bites were to adult males. There was no relationship between victim sex and age or activity when bitten. Most bites resulted from snakes the victims were unaware of, usually when individuals accidentally put their hands or feet near an unseen snake. Many bites, however, resulted from people intentionally interacting with a massasauga, such as attempting to capture or kill it. Fatality rates were lower among men than among women and were lower in adolescents than older or younger victims. No fatalities from massasaugas were reported after 1935.

CONCLUSIONS

Fatality rates from massasauga bites reported herein should be interpreted with caution owing to the nature of the data we collected. In the modern era, massasauga bites are generally considered neither common nor life-threatening, although our findings suggest that historically they may have been both more frequent and potentially more dangerous.