BACKGROUND Yamakagashi (Rhabdophis tigrinus) is a species of pit viper present throughout Russia and Eastern Asia. Although R. tigrinus venom is known to induce life-threatening hemorrhagic symptoms, the clinical characteristics and effective treatment of R. tigrinus bites remain unknown. The present study aimed to clarify these issues. METHODS Records in the Japan Snake Institute between 200...

Latrodectism or envenomation by widow-spiders is common and clinically significant worldwide. Alpha-latrotoxin is the mammalian-specific toxin in the venom that results in toxic effects observed in humans. Symptoms may be incapacitating and include severe pain that can persist for days. The management of mild to moderate latrodectism is primarily supportive while severe cases have variously bee...

Assessing the neutralization capability of nonlethal but medically relevant toxins in venom has been a challenging task. Nowadays, neutralization efficacy is evaluated based simply on the survival rates of animals injected with antivenom together with a predefined dose of venom, which can determine potency against neurotoxicity but not validate the capability to neutralize cytotoxin-induced com...

The management of scorpion stings, especially those including antivenom treatment, remains a subject of controversy. The purpose of this study was to offer the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of patients with scorpion sting and to determine the efficacy of antivenom treatment in the management of these patients. A total of 106 adult patients admitted for scorpion sting to our ED betw...

Antivenom activities of the alcoholic extracts of three species of Andrographis wall, were measured at a concentration of 10,25,50,75 and 100 μg/ml by in vitro assay of HRBC membrane lysis. All the extracts were found to be effective in the inhibition of in vitro HRBC lysis. The maximum antivenom activity was found in the alcoholicextract of Andrographis paniculata Nees.

A case of envenomation due to viperine snakebite poisoning is presented. Patient showed continuous defibrination, without any other signs of poisoning, which could not be reversed with more than double the usual dose of polyvalent antivenom. This phenomenon could be due to envenomation caused by a snake, probably from Viperidae family, which is not covered by the polyvalent antivenom available ...

Camel brucellosis has been diagnosed in all camel-rearing countries except Australia. In many countries the infection is on the rise in Old World camels (OWCs) due to the uncontrolled trade of live animals. Knowledge of camelid brucellosis has increased over the last decade through field investigations, experimental infection trials and comprehensive laboratory testing. Infection with Brucella ...

A workshop to discuss progress in the standardization and control of antivenoms, organized by the Quality Assurance and Safety of Biologicals Unit of WHO, was held at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Potters Bar, England, 7–9 February 2001. This was the first meeting convened by the WHO on this subject since 1979 and it brought together experts from academic institut...

We report a 44-year-old Western Australian man who suffered a cardiac arrest several hours after a bite by a brown snake. He was successfully resuscitated after bolus administration of undiluted brown snake antivenom. We suggest that an initial bolus dose of at least five ampoules (5000 units) of undiluted brown snake antivenom should be given as primary therapy for cardiac arrest following bro...