In the recent report of 2 cases by Witham et al, we question the identification of the snake for patient 2, who was “believed to have been bitten on the foot by a copperhead snake” before being airlifted to Fort Worth, Texas, from an outlying hospital, likely to the west of Fort Worth. Fort Worth lies at the western edge of the natural range for copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix) but well within the natural range for western diamondback rattlesnakes (Crotalus atrox). Witham et al provide no further evidence that this was a copperhead and not a rattlesnake.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 1080-6032 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wem.2015.06.020 ID - ref1 ER -