A lawn maintenance man in Lutz was bitten by a pygmy rattler Monday, the second such attack in two weeks.
The bite marks the ninth venomous snakebite treated at University Community Hospital's main campus in the past few months.
The 28-year-old lawn worker was cutting grass in the afternoon at a home off Lutz-Lake Fern Road while wearing flip-flops. The snake bit him on the left foot.
Someone called 911, and rescue workers took the Carrollwood man to UCH. Hospital officials said his foot is badly swollen and the man will receive at least 10 to 12 doses of antivenin. He was listed in fair condition at the hospital Monday evening.
The man should be in the hospital for 24 to 36 hours if his treatment goes as planned and longer if surgery is needed to save the foot.
Pygmy rattlesnakes are small, generally well under 2 feet in length. Their bites are painful but usually not fatal and can easily cause the victim to lose a hand or foot.
The most recent pygmy bite victim taken to UCH was an 87-year-old woman who was bitten on the hand at her Hunter's Green home two weeks ago. She made a full recovery.
A staff report
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