This paper is based on the author's experience while working in Israel, Egypt and Cyprus and therefore covers only these areas. From the point of view of its snake fauna, the eastern Mediterranean may be divided geographically into two parts, a northern and a southern area. The northern area, which extends north from the latitude of Jerusalem to include the southern shores of Asia Minor,: the L...

Vipera palaestinae (Vp), formerly a subspecies of the near east viper Vipera xanthina, is the most common poisonous snake in Israel and neighbouring countries (Jordan, Lebanon and Syria), and is responsible for most envenomations in humans and domestic animals. Hospital records were retrospectively reviewed for confirmed cases of Vp envenomations in dogs over a 13-year period and 327 cases were...

Our studies of the venom from the Levantine viper Vipera lebetina have demonstrated the existence of both coagulants and anticoagulants in the same venom. We showed that V. lebetina venom contains: (1) proteases that degrade fibrinogen, but not fibrin; (2) fibrinolytic enzyme (lebetase); (3) factor X activator (VLFXA); (4) factor V activator (VLFVA). Fibrinolytic enzyme and VLFXA are metallopro...

Amino acid sequences of two anticoagulant serine fibrinogenases - alpha- and beta-fibrinogenase (VLAF and VLBF) from Vipera lebetina venom have been deduced from the cDNA sequences encoding the enzymes. The mature protein sequences of 234 amino acids (VLAF) and 233 amino acids (VLBF) exhibit significant similarity with other snake venom serine proteinases. Both enzymes contain the catalytic tri...

Snake venoms contain four classes of metalloproteases that all have a typical zinc-chelating sequence (HEXXHGXXH). N-terminal sequences and internal sequences of different purified metalloproteases were determined using Edman sequencing and LC MS/MS technique. Oligonucleotides were designed and used as primers for cDNA cloning from Vipera lebetina venom gland cDNA library. We found that isoform...