AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL REVIEW OF SCORPION STINGS IN VENEZUELA: THE NORTHEASTERN REGION

L. DE SOUSA(1.2), P. PARRILLA-ALVAREZ(3), M. QUIROGA(3)

(1)Grupo de Biomedicina Aplicada (GBA), Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud (CICS), Universidad de Oriente, Núcleo de Anzoátegui, Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela; (2)Postgrado en Biología Aplicada, Escuela de Ciencias, Universidad de Oriente, Núcleo de Sucre, Cumaná, Venezuela and (3)Laboratorio de Alacranología, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Oriente, Núcleo de Bolívar, Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela.

ABSTRACT: In Venezuela, the restricted manner of works on scorpion envenoming has contributed little to the real magnitude and knowledge of this subject in our country. The lack of basic scorpiofauna knowledge, distribution, clinical manifestations, and especially of specific treatments justify multidisciplinary studies. The purpose of these studies is to obtain information that allows the elaboration of a preventive plan. This paper demonstrates the magnitude of scorpion envenomings in Venezuela.

KEY WORDS: Scorpionism in Venezuela, Tityus sp.

CORRESPONDENCE TO:

L. DE SOUSA, Apartado Postal 4774, Puerto La Cruz 6023, Estado Anzoátegui, Venezuela. Email leonardodesousa@yahoo.com or jdesousa@ci.udo.edu.ve