We present a case of an 18-year-old British soldier who was bitten by an unidentified snake whilst stationed on the Iran/Iraq border. He was evacuated to the closest Role 2+ medical facility. Within 2 days he had developed bruising and a haematoma at the bite site. An improvised measure of clotting status, the bleeding time, was employed, showing that his blood was severely anticoagulated. He w...

BACKGROUND Bothrops, Crotalus and Lachesis represent the most medically relevant genera of pitvipers in Central and South America. Similarity in venom phenotype and physiopathological profile of envenomings caused by the four nominal Lachesis species led us to hypothesize that an antivenom prepared against venom from any of them may exhibit paraspecificity against all the other congeneric taxa....

Neutralization of hyperalgesia induced by Bothrops jararaca and B. asper venoms was studied in rats using bothropic antivenom produced at Instituto Butantan (AVIB, 1 ml neutralizes 5 mg B. jararaca venom) and polyvalent antivenom produced at Instituto Clodomiro Picado (AVCP, 1 ml neutralizes 2.5 mg B. aspar venom). The intraplantar injection of B. jararaca and B. asper venoms caused hyperalgesi...

Five cases of adder bites are presented. The clinical effects and current recommendations for the treatment of adder bites are described based on a review of previously published literature. All adder bites, or snake bites of unknown species, should be observed for a minimum of 2 h. Those with no local swelling may be allowed home with appropriate antitetanus prophylaxis. Patients with local re...

Scorpionism is a public health problem in several regions of the world. The highest mortality, with over 1000 deaths per year, has been reported in Mexico. We analysed the significance of climatological variables to predict the incidence of scorpion stings in humans in the state of Colima (Mexico) for the years 2000-2001. The pluvial precipitation (mm), the evaporation (mm), and the mean, maxim...

Bihar is the state with the third largest number of snakebite deaths per year in India. This prospective, one-year study of 608 snakebites provides the first data from Bihar on determinants of unfavourable outcomes in snakebites. Any delay in reaching hospital raised the risk of a snakebite patient for an unfavourable outcome [OR 8.88, CI 2.04-38.8]. Attending a traditional practitioner prior t...

Venomous snake bites can be life threatening, occasionally requiring intensive care. For Mamushi bites, conservative treatment may be possible in mild cases but for severe cases or in cases where symptoms do not improve, a horse-derived antivenom is indicated.

Nine cases of serious envenomation following bites by Papuan taipans Oxyuranus scutellatus canni are presented. Eight cases were fatal with contributing factors such as delayed presentation with advanced symptoms, incorrect antivenom administration, failure to recognise key indications of envenoming, lack of antivenom, and delayed administration of correct antivenom. The survival of a single pa...

This is a case report of a Boiruna maculata snake bite in a child admitted to the Hospital Municipal de Pronto Socorro de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. The patient was bitten on the lower left limb, and exhibited pronounced local manifestations of envenomation. She was treated with Bothrops antivenom and was discharged from the hospital five days later with marked improvement of enven...

Snakebite envenoming represents a neglected tropical disease that has a heavy public health impact, particularly in Asia, Africa and Latin America. A global initiative, aimed at increasing antivenom production and accessibility, is being promoted by the World Health Organization and others. This work discusses several aspects of antivenom manufacture and control in which the proteomic analysis ...