Sea snakes of Sri Lanka are among the most venomous snakes in the island although they have not received much attention in the last few decades. According to data from other countries, they may be more toxic than highly venomous land snakes in the island. Most sea snake species found around Sri Lanka are gentle and inoffensive and will only bite when provoked, but certain species like Astrotia ...

This review discusses studies on the venom of Bothrops erythromelas published over the past 36 years. During this period, many contributions have been made to understand the venomous snake, its venom, and its experimental and clinical effects better. The following chronological overview is based on 29 articles that were published between 1979 and 2015, with emphasis on diverse areas. The comple...

Serum therapy remains the only specific treatment against envenoming, but anti-venoms are still prepared by fragmentation of polyclonal antibodies isolated from hyper-immunized horse serum. Most of these anti-venoms are considered to be efficient, but their production is tedious, and their use may be associated with adverse effects. Recombinant antibodies and smaller functional units are now em...

Medically important venomous snakes in Latin America belong to the genus Bothrops, Crotalus, Lachesis and Micrurus. The Bothrops genus is responsible for the majority of accidents. The WHO globally estimates 2,500,000 poisonous snakebites and 125,000 deaths annually. In its last report in 2001, the Brazilian Ministry of Health accounted 359 deaths due to snakebites, of which the Bothrops genus ...

Snake venom ophthalmia is an acute reaction of the ocular surface tissues to venom ejected into the eyes of spitting cobra victims. The condition is uncommon and the victim may be frightful of going blind. However permanent vision loss is rare. This case (40-year-old man) is reported to discuss the management protocol in such cases. Immediate copious irrigation of the eye is the most important ...