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...

BACKGROUND Snakebite is a significant cause of death and disability in subsistent farming populations of sub-Saharan Africa. Antivenom is the most effective treatment of envenoming and is manufactured from IgG of venom-immunised horses/sheep but, because of complex fiscal reasons, there is a paucity of antivenom in sub-Saharan Africa. To address the plight of thousands of snakebite victims in s...

BACKGROUND Snakebite is a global health issue and treatment with antivenom continues to be problematic. Brown snakes (genus Pseudonaja) are the most medically important group of Australian snakes and there is controversy over the dose of brown snake antivenom. We aimed to investigate the clinical and laboratory features of definite brown snake (Pseudonaja spp.) envenoming, and determine the dos...

Antivenom is the most effective method currently available for the treatment of poisonous snake bite. Allergic reactions to antivenom have been reported in the past. Here we shared a case of allergic reactions to antivenom in an old male patient who was bitten twice by the same snake (probably same one) at the same biting site within a month whereas the patient did not show any allergic disorde...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy of the H1 antihistamine promethazine against early anaphylactic reactions to antivenom. DESIGN Sequential randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial. SETTING Public hospital in a venom research institute, São Paulo, Brazil. PARTICIPANTS 101 patients requiring antivenom treatment after being bitten by bothrops snakes. INTERVENTION Intramuscul...

Three horse-derived antivenoms were tested for their ability to neutralize lethal, hemorrhagic, edema-forming, defibrinating and myotoxic activities induced by the venom of Bothrops atrox from Antioquia and Chocó (Colombia). The following antivenoms were used: a) polyvalent (crotaline) antivenom produced by Instituto Clodomiro Picado (Costa Rica), b) monovalent antibothropic antivenom produced ...

Naja sumatrana is the dominant cobra species in Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo, and Sumatra, and it does not have specific antivenom. The Haffkine antivenom has been advocated instead. This study aims to determine the efficacy of this antivenom against Naja sumatrana envenoming using a mouse model. Methods. Male Swiss albino mice were used. Intravenous LD50 was first determined separately for Naja...

BACKGROUND Snakebites are a neglected threat to global human health with a high morbidity rate. The present study explored the efficacy of antivenom with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) intervention on snakebites, which could provide the experimental basis for clinical adjuvant therapy. METHODS Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 96) were randomized into four groups: the poison model was established by inj...

Scorpion envenomation is a real public health problem in many parts of the world, especially in North Africa, Central America, South America, the Middle East and India[1] [2] [3] [4], with over 1.2 million cases of scorpion stings and 3250 deaths each year worldwide[5]. Among the 1500 species described, venoms of at least 25 species are of medical importance for humans and the majority of those...